As we move even further into election season, things start to get a little out of control. A total of three debates have passed with only one left to go. The stakes are high, and time is of the essence.
The expectations for Tuesday’s presidential debate were very different from the first face-off that occurred between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Gov. Mitt Romney.
As USA Today put it, Obama got a “second chance” to show the nation what he was made of Tuesday night.
Prior to the debate that occurred on Oct. 3 between Obama and Romney, Democrats had the mind set that this election was in the bag. However, Romney’s performance echoed like gunshots around the world.
Obama seemed anxious, disconnected and even dazed while Romney proved to the country that he and fellow Republicans were taking a solid stance that demanded yet another change in the system.
Similarly, the same shock and awe occurred during the vice-presidential debate that took place on Oct. 11 between Democratic Vice-President Joe Biden and Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan just weeks ago.
Biden was abrasive yet tactful, not the usual approach for a defending candidate; he led the Democrats in a small victory, and more importantly, swept Ryan and fellow Republicans tastefully under the rug.
So, the real fight to watch was last night. Obama’s advisors had assured the press that he would be more “aggressive” and “energetic,” traits that should’ve been highly insisted upon in his first debate against Romney. Sure enough, Obama pulled through. Obama’s apathetic attitude was more than pertinent on Oct. 3, but last night he was confident, concise and to the point.
“We haven’t heard from the governor any specifics beyond Big Bird and eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood in terms of how he pays for it,” Obama said.
Now Romney is another story. The wind behind Romney’s back seems to be an increase in the referendum. The Republican poll increase started just after the debate on Oct. 3. Since then it has transformed Romney from being the sole Republican candidate to “an acceptable alternative to independents,” according to what GOP pollster Whit Ayres told CNN just a few nights ago. This is not only a win for Republicans, but a clear wake up call to Democrats.
However, last night was another turn in the wind, and not a good one. Romney seemed to be lost when it came to a debate forum, as if he was that kid in the back of the classroom that no one wanted to call on – ever. He was stumbling through rebuttals, loosing speaking time, and racking up some rudeness points with last night’s female moderator. To top it off, he ranted about his “binder full of women,” which was used to fill his cabinet as governor of Massachusetts. When realistically, women don’t even seem to be the big contributors in any of Romney’s endeavors, business or political, according to a story by The New Yorker.
“When do you graduate?” Romney asked a student that asked his first question. “When you come out in 2014, I presume I’m going to be president. I’m going to make sure you get a job,” Romney said to him.
And presumably, Romney started his night strong, and this bold statement could’ve been truth by the end of the debate. However, he’s going to have to bite his tongue when watching the polls for the next few days after last night’s performance.
So what’s to come? With only one debate to go between the two candidates, Oct. 22 will be one hell of a fight to watch at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. The debate will focus on U.S. foreign policy. Romney has numerously questioned Obama’s foreign policy, despite failing to stick to facts when doing so. Obama, on the other hand, has only just proved his country that he’s still in this fight. We continue to watch the political seesaw, ever wondering, will this be enough for his re-election to office, or will the election bring a GOP victor?
