Lemme know when folks see any real fact checks of Romney’s claims in the debate. That’s where this goes.
Two things happened in this debate. Romney had the energy and focus, a long series of arguments packed and tight to dish out in the debate. He didn’t get distracted. He had a game plan he stuck to. What struck me a lot of times through the debate was that Obama seemed pained. He didn’t seem happy. And people like seeing happy people.
President Obama almost seemed like he came to have a discussion. But debates like these aren’t discussions. You come in knowing what you’re going to say. And you find ways to say it. That’s what Romney did.
Romney’s focus though came at the cost of a few key things. Read More
This was CNN’s John Berman’s quick factcheck on the dispute over whether Mitt Romney had anyway to pay for his $5 trillion tax cut for high income earners …
Now let’s look at the facts here. Mitt Romney does propose across-the-board, 20 percent tax cuts. The nonpartisanTax Policy Center said under that plan, taxes on the wealthiest Americans would be reduced by $5 trillion initially. Romney said he would offset that by closing loopholes and reducing reductions. So if you take him at his word, our verdict that Mitt Romney would cut taxes on the wealthy by $5 trillion, the verdict here is false.
Romney says he’ll find a unicorn. And if you take him at his word, the verdict is false.
From TPM Reader JP …
Why does Romney get an Incomplete and Obama gets a false on the grounds that we need to take Romney at his word. Why doesn’t taking someone at his word produce an incomplete until we find out what their word is?
From TPM Reader VL …
Just quickly here because I’m in low health and barely had the stomach for my own quivering nerves on a night like this …. but yes, totally agree with you – O was low energy, quite obviously unprepared, and Mitt beat him hands down. I was completely prepared for Romney to win tonight, – given that O is a poor debater and this first one was on domestic policy. But it was worse than I’d hoped for.
Obama calls out Romney on his pre-existing conditions fib.
CNN now doing its fact-check. Very sad. Romney says he’ll come up with loophole cuts to cover the $5 trillion in tax cuts. And if you take Romney’s word for it, then Romney’s right. That’s a fact check?
10:20 PM: Again and again through this debate, Romney has left himself open to wounding hits from the president. Each time President Obama did not go there. He didn’t want the harsh hit. I’m curious whether that will turn out to have been a good decision.
10:22 PM: Again, this is my read from this debate. Energy and focus all in Romney’s hands on this. Obama simply hasn’t pressed any points where Romney said things that were demonstrably false. A bit on his tax cut plan, but not much. But how does it play over the next week? Romney’s been holding back all the details on his plans, basically refusing to talk about him. He’s put a lot on the table here, made a lot of claims which simply don’t add up. Obama hasn’t pressed the falsehoods or math that doesn’t make sense. Does the press do it tomorrow? How well do these claims wear? That’s how we’ll know how each did.
10:31 PM: I remember noting one thing about the 2004 debates, especially the first one. George Bush seemed not to like being criticized by a guy up there on the stage with him. President’s just don’t have that happen. They get criticized but not often to their face. Bush showed that in spades. And I feel like I’ve seen some of that from Obama tonight. A lot of grimacing.