by Madeleine KandoLast night’s second Presidential Debate was so intense and suspenseful, that it made for far better entertainment than my usual dose of ‘Wallander’ Mystery series. Who would have thought that the President of these United States would give Americans a more exciting performance than most of what you could watch on tv that night?
When the whole thing was over, I felt like I had witnessed a prize-fighter contest without the bruises and bloody faces. I knew Obama wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, Getting knocked out in the first round of the first Presidential debate sure taught him a lesson. But I wasn’t prepared for this kind of fighting spirit, especially from a man who is known to be ‘civil’ and ‘moderate’.
Wow. As I write this the day after, I am still trying to recover. Obama didn’t let Romney get away with his usual style of talking out of two sides of his mouth. I was embarrassed when Romney became so combative and insulting that he had to be told to ‘sit’ by the moderator, as if he was a dog. Obama, even though as aggressive as Romney, never lost his cool. He was combative but stopped himself short when things got so ugly that the two men were on the verge of exchanging physical blows.
I liked Obama’s style far more than Romney’s. He did what he should have done two weeks ago. Obama strongly reacted to Romney’s insulting insinuation about the attack on the embassy in Libya. Obama: ‘The suggestion that anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we've lost four of our own, Governor, is offensive. That's not what we do. That's not what I do as president.’
The coup de grace came during Obama’s closing argument, when he gave Romney a fabulous knock-out punch: It was aimed at Romney’s remark about 47% percent of the country considering themselves as victims who refuse to take personal responsibility. It was there for the whole world to see, the perfect closing to a perfect performance.
Obama knew this was the fight of all fights. He gave it his all. He fought like a bulldog disguised in a sleek greyhound suit. I loved it. leave comment here
10 comments:
Dear Madeleine
Love your blogs, love your ability to report the issues - learning a lot about American politics. Proud to know you. Barb Hall
Hey Barbara: I am flattered by your comment. It means a lot to me, especially coming from you. Too bad we missed each other in Paris!
I would never characterize myself as a "patriot." You know, people who blindly follow the troops, the American way, etc. But having witnessed the attempt to change the paradigm of what this country was founded on; having witnessed bullies and liars try to commandeer the power of this country, I was gratified to see the duly elected President of the United States put the bullying, fumbling, lying, self-serving, power-hungry 2nd rate candidate in his place.
Paul and I once knew a guy who worked as a flight attendant for Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia and our friend had the opportunity to actually ask the prince what people like him, with all the money in the world, could possibly find missing in their lives. Prince Faisal told our friend--when you have all the money in the world it is obvious the one thing you can't buy is time.
Romney, at the age of 65, is played out. He's a shark by nature and the only thing that can occupy his mind as he gets older is more power. Obviously, it's the only thing that makes time stand still for him (and his over the hill debutante wife.) He is not fulfilled by actually making a difference. Note--other than tithing to his cult, what philanthropic acts are associated with him? None.
Woops--Paul just read this and reminded me it was not Prince Faisal, but Adnan Khoshogi, the arms dealer who are friend worked for. (Even more appropriate!) It was actually Paul when he first came to the US, who worked as a chauffeur, who met Prince Faisal and that is an amazing story by itself.
Madeleine, well put! I love your analysis and yes, we did see a great performance and I am so happy that Obama learned from his first debate experience.
Thanks for such a great write up.
Gail
Great comments on the debate.
Madeleine said...
Mindalaya: I agree that Romney doesn't strike me as a philanthropist. Most of his 'charity' went to his church and to organizations that support a conservative agenda or that now contribute to his campaign.
What is more interesting is that if the tax rate in this country was anything comparable to most Western Europeans countries, he would have paid 7 million in taxes instead of the 4 million that he now pays in charitable contributions, which are, by the way, tax deductible.
Thank you Gail and anonymous for your supportive comments.
Your comments on the debate were excellent, Madeleine. As a former college debater--60 years back--I would have liked to see a more orderly debate, with the candidates responding to questions directly and staying within their own time-frame. I understand that the importance of the debate generated a barely containable amount of aggression. The moderator did her best, but there were several times when Romney stepped forward trying to cut off Obama, perhaps re-living his youthful experiences as a bully, that I wished she would stuff a towel in his mouth. I suppose Republicans may have felt the same way about Obama's responses . Anyway, they got our attention, so maybe more people will bother to vote this time!
Gene: I love the image of Romney with a towel stuffed in his mouth. It's big enough for 2 towels!
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