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Last night was the final Presidential debate. This thread will serve as my usual rundown and link-around. My commentary from during the debate can be found here.
LL1885’s overall take:
- Best moderated debate yet. Bob kept his trap shut and that worked out well.
- Benghazi was swept under the rug.
- Fast and Furious didn’t even get mentioned.
- Obama lied a lot. Romney missed chances to hit him on them.
- Romney kept an even keel while Obama seemed like he was racing to catch up each question. This resulted in a lot of creepy looks from Obama and quite a bit of petty snark. Net-net effect: Romney looked like the incumbent and looked more presidential.
- Romney won. It wasn’t a win like the first debate, but he came out and did what he needed to do. He successfully pushed the narrative that Obama has not led and that the world doubts our resolve and strength as a nation. Obama has not delivered on his 2008 promises, but in fact made our reputation worse. Romney also effectively highlighted that the President’s default mode of debating is not to offer solutions and talk about himself, but rather to attack Romney. Shorter: “Attacking me is not an agenda.”
- Romney displayed stability. Obama displayed narcissism.
- In my opinion, Obama really blew it on ‘What role America should play‘. He highlighted almost everything that he managed to screw up in the last 4 years and try to sell them as positives. Then he attacked Romney. Obama didn’t really answer to the question posed. Fail.
- I doubt this will impact the polls or voter opinion much. If it does, I think it will be in Romney’s favor and not Obama’s. People know who they want by now. I maintain 201 is going to look like a warm up. (Note: As I was finishing this post, my suspicion was confirmed.)
Fun Fact: Obama received more speaking time at all three debates
Another Fun Fact: Romney kicked back with burgers and milkshakes before the debate.
Full Video:
Transcript at ABC and NY Times. I don’t give just one anymore after ABC edited out comments last time.
Live Blogs:
- Althouse: Live-blogging the big last debate.
- VodkaPundit: Drunkblogging the Last Presidential Debate
“Fact Checks”:
- AP: Fact Check (Goes literal on “apology tour”)
- Weekly Standard: Fact-Checking Obama’s Defense Claim
- Daily Caller: Fact Check: Obama debate claims about changing world attitudes largely untrue in Muslim world, Pew survey finds
- Daily Caller: Fact Check: Obama line about horses, bayonets fails fact-check
- NBC’s Andrea Mitchell: Governor Romney Was Right On Iraq
- Richard Haass: Fact Check – Obama On Iraq
- CNN: Fact Check: Obama Did Seek To Keep Troops In Iraq
- TRS: FACT CHECK: Romney RIGHT on all debate disputes
- FOX: Fact Check: Auto Industry Bailout
- Goldberg: What Romney Said On Detroit Bankruptcy
- Weasel Zippers: Let’s Check The Record: Obama Was Wrong, Romney Did Say Government Should Provide Guarantees For Carmakers Post-Bankruptcy Financing
Polls:
- CBS Poll: Decisive win for Obama in final debate
- CNN Poll: Nearly half of debate watchers say Obama won showdown
- ABC/WaPo poll: Romney pulls nearly even with Obama on handling foreign affairs, terrorism; Update: Obama’s giving up on NC, says Begala
- Battleground Tracking Poll: Mitt Romney takes lead
Key Ads already out there:
Who thinks Romney won and why:
- Jonah Goldberg: Romney Tonight
- Jonah Goldberg: Romney Tonight, Part II
- NRO: Krauthammer: Romney Won
- Daily Caller: Krauthammer on Romney’s ‘unequivocal’ win: ‘Romney went large — Obama went very, very small’ (More video from Krauthammer here)
- Ace: Romney Wins The War, Again
- David Gergen: Romney Passed The Commander In Chief Test
- NY Sun: The Winning Combination
- Powerline: CNN poll tends to confirm that Romney “won” by drawing
- Breitbart: Breitbart: Romney Wins, By a Bayonet
Related from Twitchy: Hey, remember when the Dems used Russian ships in DNC military tribute?
Why Obama lost:
OBAMA’S CAMPAIGN STRATEGY: In a single picture:
– Via Instapundit
- Romney: ‘Attacking Me Is Not an Agenda’
- Obama’s patronizing and condescending line of the night – and also inaccurate.
- TRENDING: ‘Horses and bayonets’ shows Obama’s debate strategy
- Speaking of Bayonets… this is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, MISTER President.
- VIDEO: Military Veterans Explain How Budget Cuts Threaten U.S. Troops
- Clips of Obama ‘apology tour’ undercuts debate denial -VIDEO
- DEVASTATING: Romney slams Obama for his apology tour (Video here)
- Oh My! Politico’s John Harris Said Obama ‘Diminished Himself’ As Commander In Chief
- Romney: The President Was Silent When World Needed America’s Voice
- CNN’s Gloria Borger: Obama Failed To Give A Vision For The Future
- Mitt Romney Keeps Command Amid Attacks – and Looks to Future
Blogs and Opinions:
- NRO: The Final Debate
- Hot Air: Wrap up: The third debate; Update: Insta-polls coming in
- Weekly Standard: Romney Passed the Test
- Washington Examiner: Romney denies Obama chance to paint him as “Bush on steroids”
- Doug Ross: Larwyn’s Linx: Thoughts On The Final Debate
- Da Tech Guy: Some debate comments
- Harsanyi: President Obama’s remarkable Holocaust cheapshot
- The Other McCain: FINAL 2012 DEBATE: ‘FOREIGNERS’
- The Hill: Role reversal in final showdown
- Maggie’s Notebook: Boca Debate: Iran TruthBomb – Obama’s Policy of Mass Destruction
- The American Spectator : Jimmy Carter’s Dead Ambassador
The Gaffes, The Highlights & Miscellaneous:
- Awful. Chris Matthews Slams Young Romney Supporter Over Benghazi; Says Terror Strike “Was All About a Video, Read a Newspaper” (Video)
- Schieffer makes ‘Obama bin Laden’ gaffe
- Mitt Romney: “We Will Stand With Israel” (Video)
- Biggest gaffe of the night: Obama’s sequestration blunder
- Video: White House Already Backpedaling On Obama Sequestration Comments
- BOOM! Romney to Obama: I’m not going to tell Putin he’ll have more flexibility
- PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Obama, Romney at Final Presidential Debate
- WORD CLOUD: Obama and Romney at the Final Presidential Debate
- Mooch Rocks $3K Dress To Presidential Debate
The Tweets:
- Legal Insurrection: Best Tweets of the Final Debate — Romney as The President, Obama as desperate challenger
IowaHawk won Twitter again last night.
President “Marine Corpse” quite the military thinker.
I plucked some tweets from last night. In the effort of saving space and time, they are linked instead of embedded:
- Twitter / JonahNRO: Just for the record, submarines — ships that go under water as Obama calls them — existed in 1916.
- Twitter / andylancaster: CBS panel of 8 undecided OH voters on debate – 2 Obama / 6 Romney #LynnDebate
- Twitter / BenHowe: Romney sounded presidential and intelligent on China. Obama responded by sticking his tongue out. #ObamaFail #debate
- Twitter / sistertoldjah: ICYMI, the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES does not know what the word “geopolitical” means! Watch –> http://bit.ly/UwBmpN #lynndebate #p2
- Twitter / mkhammer: Romney: “First of all, it’s not gov’t that makes business successful. It’s not government investments that make gov’t grow.” #debates
- Twitter / benshapiro: There’s no reason Americans should die when Afghans can die. — Barack Obama
- Twitter/ Pamela Geller: Romney: I would indict Ahmadinejad under the genocide convention #debates
- Twitter / okmaher: Hey Obama, careful with the condescension . . . the battleships v. bayonets comment just makes you look douchie. #debate
- Twitter / BillyHallowell: “Here’s one thing I’ve learned as commander in chief. You’ve got to be clear…” -Obama #debate
- Twitter / DLoesch: Obama took umbrage at Romney’s suggestion that Russia is not our BFF. #debate
- Twitter / maryclimer: Keep Americans safe?!? Ambassador Stevens? The 3 other Americans?
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