MITT ROMNEY WINS FIRST DEBATE

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UPDATE 10:32 p.m. ET: Damn. Mitt won it straight-up. I’ve turned my TV to MSNBC to watch their reaction.

Rachel Maddow: “I personally do not know who won this debate.” This means . . . yeah, Mitt won. He beat the hell out of Obama.

Ed Schultz: “[Obama] created a problem for himself tonight on Social Security. He agreed with Mitt Romney. . . . I thought he was off his game.”

UPDATE 10:25 p.m. ET: Jim Lehrer babbling like an idiot about time running out. He wants Obama to get re-elected so ObamaCare will cover treatment for his senility.

UPDATE 10:22 p.m. ET: “Mr. President, you’re entitled to your own house and your own plane, but not your own facts.” Zing!

UPDATE 10:06 p.m. ET: They’ve been going back and forth about ObamaCare for 10 minutes. If you believe what Obama says — as opposed to the actual facts — then you’ll probably think he won this part of the debate. But if you believe what Obama says, you’re probably too stupid to read this anyway.

UPDATE 9:55 p.m. ET: More Twitter:

Instapundit is blogging a bit of the debate, and also links to the classic Vodkapundit drunkblogging.

UPDATE 9:45 p.m. ET: Been watching and Tweeting, so let me stick some of the Tweets in here:

Mitt just hit Obama on the Medicare issue. Obama hit back. Score it a draw, I think.

UPDATE 9:31 p.m. ET: Now they’re talking debts and deficits, and Obama’s worst broken promise: He claimed he’d cut the deficit in half and, instead, has doubled it.

UPDATE 9:20 p.m. ET: Obama and Romney are going back and forth on taxes. This is getting so good, I’m going to stop the frequent updates for a few minutes and just watch a while.

UPDATE 9:16 p.m. ET: Damn it, Obama keeps claiming to have given a “tax cut” to the middle class, but there was no rate reduction. Instead, he’s put in a series of tax credits, which are not the same as tax cuts.

UPDATE 9:13 p.m. ET: Romney gets a chance to hit back at Obama. Does pretty good, but gets a bit too “into the weeds” for my tastes.

UPDATE 9:11 p.m. ET: Obama comes back talking a lot of details, claiming Romney’s plan will “cost” money and have to be “paid for.” The government-centric point of view.

UPDATE 9:09 p.m. ET: Mitt opens with humorous anniversary congratulations, then goes into his 5-Point Plan for economic recovery. Having followed Mitt on the trail, I’ve heard this a zillion times, but for many of the 50 million people watching, it’s new.

UPDATE 9:07 p.m. ET: Obama opens with anniversary shout-out to Michelle. Then gets all into class warfare, blaming Bush, etc. He sucks.

EXPECT FURTHER UPDATES . . .

* * * PREVIOUSLY (8 p.m. ET) * * *

This verdict may shock some readers, seeing as how I’m publishing it a full hour before the debate actually begins.

Everybody’s playing the “expectations game” (notice Nate Silver trying to raise the ante for Romney) which, like a lot of what goes on in politics, is transparent bulls–t. Once you realize they’re trying to manipulate your perceptions, you should not be deceived, e.g.:

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos is doing his part for team Obama to make sure that Mitt Romney’s performance at Wednesday evening’s debate is a disappointment, one that will surely lead to his losing the election in November.
On Tuesday morning’s Good Morning America, the former Clinton Administration staffer sternly warned that if Romney doesn’t exceed expectations in the debates, he’s finished.
Why? Because Romney is under “huge, huge” pressure, Stephanopoulos says. And “he’s behind right now,” so if he doesn’t overperform, he’ll be considered a failure.

Give that everyone else is at it, therefore, I’m getting out ahead of this psychological gamesmanship with the pre-emptive declaration of Romney’s unquestional triumph.

And so this is your official “Debate Thread.”

Bite me, Nate. And bite me, George.

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers!

UPDATE II: Linked by the Lonely Conservative — thanks!

78 comments

  2. I wouldn’t encourage them to bite you… Not without serious immunizations first. Everyone knows Zombies can make you become one of them with a bite.
    Seriously? I expect Romney to win. I expect the media to declare it lost. We’re being gaslighted. OR more crudely, they’re pissing down our necks and telling us it’s raining.

  3. Wouldn’t surprise me if they credit Romney with at least a narrow win in this first debate. Then a surprisingly poor showing in the 2nd debate, followed by an obviously triumphant Obama in the third debate.

    Would go a long way towards quieting the complaints that the press is biased between now and the 2nd debate, and as a bonus would position Obama as an underdog – and everyone knows Americans LOVE an underdog….

  4. very good analysis. can hear it now: ‘The President seemed a little off his mark tonight’ ‘ Not the oratory we are used hearing from Obama’ ughawugga

  5. It’s a reverse jujitsu move. The MSM will declare Mitt the winner tonight so Barack can then do his unprecedented comeback, capture the crucial “mo” and be anointed again. The turning point will be debate 2 when the leftist moderator asks Mitt to do his pandering Southern Black accent – he fails miserably. The media verdict is unanimous – Mitt is not real, and he can’t connect with average Americans. The third debate is declared unnecessary, and it goes off, but no one watches, and the verdict remains – the race is over, Barack crushed him, most tellingly when he denied making the Hampton speech.

  7. The MFM has already recorded the debate outcome. Romney underperformed and Obama was strong. There’s not much point in watching these debates.

    You either approve of Obama’s administration and the last four years or you don’t. If you do, you’re an imbecile. Having other imbeciles tell you what they “think” does not turn you into a savant; it turns you into sheep.

  8. no matter the debates, it will be the economy that will be the determinant. If gas jumps up nationally, like in CA due to refinery problems, it will end up in Romney’s favor. I personally don’t see the newly discovered tapes of O shocking — people have figured him out already

  22. Obama seemed disconnected and bumbling in his closing remarks, which should be largely a memorized speech. His grammar was off, and he looked tired and cranky.

  28. the whole was greater than the sum of the quotes, for romney.
    great command, strong voice, eager, ready…
    couldn’t ask for a better intro to the public that did not know him before tonite.
    my only experience with obama’s debating skills, prior to tonite, had to be based on his ability to withstand the ‘skill’ of john mccain.
    I’m not sure that anyone is going to be able to ‘coach up’ obama to get past this, in less than a month. next debate, he will go on the offensive, but if mitt remains equally unflappable, it will be an even worse disaster than tonite.

  33. One point Romney could have made was after Obama went on and on about Romney supposedly not sharing the details of his plan, Romney could have pointed out that Congressional Democrats didn’t know what was in ObamaCare when they were voting on it (Pelosi: “you have to vote for it to find out what’s in it”).

  38. […] As recounted ringside (well, electronically): UPDATE 10:06 p.m. ET: They’ve been going back and forth about ObamaCare for 10 minutes. If you believe what Obama says — as opposed to the actual facts — then you’ll probably think he won this part of the debate. But if you believe what Obama says, you’re probably too stupid to read this anyway. […]

  39. Obama looked like the 9 year old caught stealing; Romney looked like Dad.

    Who won? Well, Amanda Marcotte now wants to have Romney’s baby. Sure, she’d abort it, but still.

  41. The debate wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

    It looked OK; I’m holding out for more money, though. Maybe a phone.

    Special effects totally sucked. That guy playing Gollum in a suit wasn’t loud enough to distract those two clowns at the podiums. And the podium guys kept their shoes on the entire time.

    I give it a three.

  45. In Romney’s words the truth is he is for the “100%” of Americans. He already told that. So Romney must have simply lied about his true feelings when he made that “47%” remark behind closed doors, just to impress his millionaire buddies.

    Just wow.

  47. Yo Einstein, Romney meant he had no chance of attracting the votes of the parasites. But his policies would help them more IF they want to help themselves.

  49. Isn’t the third debate supposed to be on foreign policy? Good luck winning that one, Bambi!

    Ambassador Stevens could still not be reached for comment.

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