A staff writer’s semi-biased take on the debate

Dictionary.com defines a debate as a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints.

Your humble narrator defines the Oct. 22 foreign policy debate as a discussion, on national television in which two candidates manage to completely agree with each other on foreign matters and still find ways to bash each other for an hour and a half.

This was the nature of Monday’s debate.

Polls may swing one way or another in regards to who really won last night’s debate. Style-wise both candidates kept reasonably cool, a drastic change from the last debate. But as far as content, both candidates lost.

Governor Romney just restated foreign policy positions that are already in place in the current administration. He failed to point out any significant changes he would institute abroad besides the ones we have already been told time and time again.

The fact is, both candidates know that foreign policy doesn’t win elections. Joe and Jill Everyman aren’t as concerned with the Syrian revolution as they are with domestic issues.

So that’s why Romney and Obama took every opening they could to emphasize their economic plans.

Perhaps, more-so Romney considering he agrees with almost everything the president is doing abroad, he just isn’t supposed to act like it.

In some cases he actually praised the president. He commemorated the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and he came out as a bona-fide certified supporter of drone strikes.

Romney also emphasized how Obama’s foreign policy is projecting weakness abroad. He pointed to the president’s apology tour, in which the president toured the Middle East and met with their leaders.

I’m looking forward to Romney’s “No Apologies” book tour; let’s see how that one pans out in the Middle East.

Obama also reiterated his domestic policy over his foreign policy at any given opportunity. Obama worked in the same lines we’ve heard for the last couple months, but to be fair they both did.

If you paid attention very closely you would have seen Obama’s pink banded wrist. Knit-picky stuff, but Romney wasn’t wearing a breast cancer band. Let the record state: Romney cares about fighting breast cancer just as much as the president does … as long as Planned Parenthood isn’t involved.

Obama slammed Romney for his investments in Chinese companies. That’s a pretty low-blow considering everybody making as much money as Romney invests in Chinese companies.

Obama stepped forward as the auto industry’s savior, and attempted to paint Romney as the Grinch of Chryslerville and he did his best to convince voters that Romney is a flip-flopper on the issues. But I’m sort of disappointed he didn’t diagnose the governor with Romneisa. Oh well.

The debates are finally over. Romney may have come out a bit ahead considering his momentum probably wasn’t stymied by the president’s performance last night. But I’ll call it a tie-ish. Obama had a few pretty good zingers. Nothing like Biden’s “malarkey” but that’s okay.

So the final debate score is:

Romney – 1

Obama – 1

Neither – 1

Now it’s up to you, the voters of this great nation. So let me say something neither of the candidates can: go effing vote.

Story by Christian Zerbel 

Presidential race heats up after recent debate

An oratorical showdown leaves Obama in a better place. Well, at least a less worse one.

We saw a different president last night. Still reeling from a massive debate flop that cost Obama the popular vote, the president came to Hofstra University prepared and with a hunger for redemption.


According to break-out polls, it worked … kind of. Obama was polled the winner in last night’s, town-hall style, debate. However, the results were much closer than the Oct. 3 debate.

The moderator, Candy Crowley, struggled to keep the candidates in check. At one point, President Obama spoke over Crowley and Romney noting, “I’m used to being interrupted.”

The president came off aggressive at times, but so did Governor Romney. In fact, at one point in the evening the candidates circled each other, bickering like siblings on a road-trip.

The first question led to an oratorical fire-fight that left both candidates on edge. Their body language became pointed, jagged and their speech became more and more critical as the candidates fought to get the last word in on their opponent.

Obama retorted often throughout the night, “What Mr. Romney said simply isn’t true.”

Romney urged the viewers to “look at the policies opposed to the rhetoric” when it came to the president.

The candidates had their way with the questions, often disregarding the point of the question and instead using it as a jumping-off points to emphasize their campaign objectives.

For example, one audience member asked the candidates their stances on gun control, specifically automatic weapons. Romney weaved in his stances on education and two parent house-holds while making note of the president’s inferior policies.

When Crowley pressed Romney to answer the question more clearly, he surprisingly changed his stance from one he held during his term as Massachusetts Governor.

However, Tuesday’s debate did in fact contain intense conversation, even if it was rough around the edges. Here are a few main points:

• Romney was able to clarify his tax plan to the American public.

• Obama took responsibility for the embassy deaths.

• Romney conveyed to voters that the president’s policies have been hurting not helping economic growth.

• Obama painted Romney as a man who shifts on the issues.

• Romney attacked the president’s foreign policy, making the case that it conveys weakness abroad.

• Obama told the public that Romney, and the GOP, intends to advantage the rich and put the burden on the middle-class.

Both candidates did their best to reach out to women voters who will ultimately swing the election. Romney may have slipped up though when he uttered the phrase “binders full of women.” The inter-web was all over that before the debate even ended.

To be fair, Romney was referring to a high number of applications and recommendations for his Massachusetts cabinet appointees and the comment was in no way meant to be insensitive.

Obama was able to step in and press Romney over his reluctance to say whether or not he would have signed the Lily Ledbetter bill. Obama also made a, perhaps, more emotional case, "I've got two daughters and I want to make sure that they have the same opportunities that anybody's sons have."

However when it came to deciding a winner, polls show Obama just slid past Romney. Obama was able drive his points a bit more effectively.

So was this debate the saving-grace that the Obama campaign needed to lock-in another four years?

Not really. Obama blew that chance with his lack-luster performance in his first rhetorical tango with Romney on Oct 3. As a consequence, Obama must fight for every inch his re-election. But, he was able to redeem himself. And he certainly won the most improved award for the night.

As of now, national polls haven’t swung either way due to the debate but they do show that, while Romney leads in the popular vote, the projected Electoral College favors Obama. Perhaps the president will win his re-election by pulling a Bush*. It’s looking like that may be the case.

Now we look forward to the last of three presidential debates scheduled for Oct 22 at Lynn University, Florida.

*The act of winning a national election that you don’t really deserve to win because of the outdated Electoral College system’s failure to quantify public votes in a rational manner.

Story by Christian Zerbel