Supporters of President Barack Obama asked for a more aggressive, engaged performance in the second presidential debate and he did not disappoint. Surprising an arrogant and complacent Mitt Romney with his refusal to let lies stand as facts, a focused President Obama knocked the former governor off his stride in the first minutes of the debate and he never regained his footing.
Moderated by a mellow, yet determined Candy Crowley, the town hall style debate began with a question from a voter concerned about finding a job post college graduation. Romney immediately touted his questionable record on education and job creation as governor of Massachusetts, where, as current governor Deval Patrick stated, he was “more interested in having the job, than doing the job.” The president took the opportunity to highlight his rescue of the auto industry, reminding voters that Romney wanted to allow Detroit to go bankrupt.
The back and forth of this exchange set the tone for the entire night. Romney, proving once again that he is oratorically ambidextrous, frequently attempted his usual flip-flop on the issues, but the president would not let that slide. He deftly exposed the superficial nature of Romney’s “5-point plan,” which is oddly reminiscent of the infeasibility of the “9-9-9 plan” of former GOP frontrunner, Herman Cain, reminding voters that Romney has yet to explain how he is actually going to achieve his plans for the economy.
Governor Romney’s says he’s got a five-point plan? Governor Romney doesn’t have a five-point plan. He has a one-point plan. And that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. That’s been his philosophy in the private sector, that’s been his philosophy as governor, that’s been his philosophy as a presidential candidate.
You can make a lot of money and pay lower tax rates than somebody who makes a lot less. You can ship jobs overseas and get tax breaks for it. You can invest in a company, bankrupt it, lay off the workers, strip away their pensions, and you still make money.
That’s exactly the philosophy that we’ve seen in place for the last decade. That’s what’s been squeezing middle class families.
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