This Is What A "Check" Looks Like

[Politico]

Forewarned:

If you think "winning" September means anything, you are sorely mistaken.

If you think Romney has not planned for three debates, you are sorely mistaken.

If you think Obama is sailing to four more years, you are sorely mistaken.

Tonight, we delivered our first "check." In November, we deliver "checkmate."

[memphis]

Can't wait for Obama's re-election and your exit.

[Joe Biden is your president. Deal with it.]

Can't wait for Obama's re-election and your exit.

[LiberalJunkie]

Can't wait for Obama's re-election and your exit.

[old timey villain]

Can't wait for Obama's re-election and your exit.

[Ty440]

Congrats to the Republicans on the Board. After the past 3 or 4 weeks you needed something positive. Enjoy the moment.

[Lincoln Republican]

Are there any Dem hacks out there capable of making up their own statements?

[ucscgaldamez]

So what happens if the polls continue showing Obama leading? Does that mean there's nothing that Romney can do to change the race? I do see the race tightening. We may see a division of polls, some showing Obama leading by 2 and some Romney by 2.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Enjoy our paranoia and concern while you still have it, Politico (and I'm not denying we don't right now). Debates are rarely game-changers, especially ones won on points.

[DrScholl]

And you should be forewarned that attempting to declare the election over right now is probably a very unwise idea.

[King]

Romney looked good tonight, Politico.  He showed for the first time since he launched his original campaign in 2007 that he was actually willing to acknowledge and accept his record as Governor of Massachusetts.  Governor Mitt Romney is a winner, and he's never been willing to own up to it.  He ran his campaign to this point as businessman Mitt Romney.  Finally doing that was something unexpected.  He didn't earn my vote, for one big reason, but he did earn my trust that he would put economics before deficit control and not be a ideologue conservative President.  You could see, even in this debate, that the conservative issues he spouted were the phony awkward Mitt Romney while he lit up when he talked more about his moderate stances.  I saw who the genuine Mitt was.  The Governor not the businessman.
 
However, that wasn't really enough to seriously change my mind because at the same time he was doing this, he was also telling me that he and Obama really don't have very many differences as candidates.  On the major foundations of what needs to be done to the country, they have the same plan at heart.  I thoroughly believe it. Romney's win in the debate then, for me, was more of Obama losing.  Obama definitely was not as energetic and focused, and he let Romney get away with a lot.  For example, one could EASILY point out that a tax plan that states "no tax cuts that would increase the deficit," criticizes "$716 billion in spending cuts," and "refuses to cut defense spending ... education spending ... medicare spending" means Romney does not plan on balancing the budget in his first term.  Yet Obama let it go by without saying anything concise that made the illogical proposal stand out.

One idea that Romney had, which could sway voters like me and definitely a lot of people, was one he didn't hit hard enough on.  It's pretty obvious the Democrats are more willing to cooperate than the Republicans.  Romney can bring the Republicans in block vote, or at least enough of them to pair with the Democrats, because most of the center to center-right Republican hatred of the Obama administration, I believe, is simply that he is a Democrat. 

The Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, who has more or less the same plan for America as Barack Obama, would be 100 times more likely to get the important agenda passed in full.  Democrats + moderate Republicans led by a Republican President, who isn't conservative, would be able to get supermajority action done.  I'm not sure I'm ready to believe Mitt Romney isn't conservative, but he is trying to make the case now, and if he does, I won't say I'll vote for him, but I won't dislike a victory.

I still think Obama will win this in the end.

[NVGonzalez]

Can't wait for Obama's re-election and your exit.

[JFK-Democrat]

Forewarned:

If you think "winning" September means anything, you are sorely mistaken.

If you think Romney has not planned for three debates, you are sorely mistaken.

If you think Obama is sailing to four more years, you are sorely mistaken.

Tonight, we delivered our first "check." In November, we deliver "checkmate."

Breaking News Romney already lost  the election once the 47% video was released...Everyone already know he is a job killing vulture who likes to fire people. Also, you guys fell for the oldest trick in the political play book. The rope a dope, the haymaker will be delivered on Election Day.

[The Mikado]

Romney may have outperformed Obama tonight, but Obama's performance wasn't bad.  (My one qualm with Obama tonight was his complete refusal to respond to Romney's argument that he took 700 billion out of Medicare).  Romney, on the other hand, tried as hard as he could to stick on the line that he wasn't changing anything re: Medicare for anyone under 60 while not addressing the specifics of what his plan did for people under 60, which is something that implies that he finds his Medicare plan is anathema to younger people (younger in this case including people in their 50s).

[Averroës Nix]

You know, if we're drawing a chess analogy, I think that castling out of check is a more appropriate comparison. Which, you'll note, is against the rules of the game.

Seriously, though, this was a good night for Romney. Certainly not a devastating blow, but unless we indulge in the kind of fantasies that Republicans usually reserve for descriptions of hypothetical Obama-Gingrich debates, it couldn't have been much worse for the president. That's not to suggest that Obama is no longer the favorite - his substantial advantage persists - but Romney did exactly what he needed to do.

[Link]

Can't wait for Obama's re-election and your exit.

[Silent Hunter]

You know, if we're drawing a chess analogy, I think that castling out of check is a more appropriate comparison. Which, you'll note, is against the rules of the game.

Also, it's only the final checkmate that counts.

[J. J.]

Breaking News Romney already lost  the election once the 47% video was released...Everyone already know he is a job killing vulture who likes to fire people. Also, you guys fell for the oldest trick in the political play book. The rope a dope, the haymaker will be delivered on Election Day.

Surprisingly, Obama's approval on Gallup's weekly dropped by one point after that, and the gap has closed, to a 4 point lead.

Last night, Obama lost a rook.

[sentinel]

Can't wait for Obama's re-election and your exit.

[Angel of Death]

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[Oakvale]

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This sprang to mind for me, too!

[rockhound]

I think more and more Americans are finally coming to the realization that Obama is an empty suit.

He was elected with the least experience of any president since Chester Arthur, and has consistently proved his intellect is, lets be kind and say "below average".

His understanding of foreign affairs, basic history and of course economics is at the high school level at best.

I personnally know 100's of people with more qualifications to be president than Obama had.

Now that the luster of "yeah but he's charismatic" is wearing off, perhaps the rock star menality that sways so many of his core constituency will keep them home this year, and we can get back to adults running the country.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I think more and more Americans are finally coming to the realization that Obama is an empty suit.

He was elected with the least experience of any president since Chester Arthur, and has consistently proved his intellect is, lets be kind and say "below average".

His understanding of foreign affairs, basic history and of course economics is at the high school level at best.

I personnally know 100's of people with more qualifications to be president than Obama had.

Now that the luster of "yeah but he's charismatic" is wearing off, perhaps the rock star menality that sways so many of his core constituency will keep them home this year, and we can get back to adults running the country.

I personally know 100's of people who can spell.

[Averroës Nix]

I think more and more Americans are finally coming to the realization that Obama is an empty suit.

He was elected with the least experience of any president since Chester Arthur, and has consistently proved his intellect is, lets be kind and say "below average".

His understanding of foreign affairs, basic history and of course economics is at the high school level at best.

I personnally know 100's of people with more qualifications to be president than Obama had.

Now that the luster of "yeah but he's charismatic" is wearing off, perhaps the rock star menality that sways so many of his core constituency will keep them home this year, and we can get back to adults running the country.

I personally know 100's of people who can spell.

Don't listen to Scott; his understanding of courtesy is at the high school level at best. I personally know hundreds of posters with are more qualifed to comment on this matter than he. Scott, you'd do well to remember that not every here is under the thrall of your rock-star personality.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Romney may have outperformed Obama tonight, but Obama's performance wasn't bad.  (My one qualm with Obama tonight was his complete refusal to respond to Romney's argument that he took 700 billion out of Medicare).  Romney, on the other hand, tried as hard as he could to stick on the line that he wasn't changing anything re: Medicare for anyone under 60 while not addressing the specifics of what his plan did for people under 60, which is something that implies that he finds his Medicare plan is anathema to younger people (younger in this case including people in their 50s).

Obama did respond to Romney's claim  - he said it didn't matter because those were overpayments. Granted that wasn't a very convincing response, but is there another one?