Presidential Debate #2 Recap; Video, Transcript Added

Hofstra University was the scene of Presidential Debate #2 Tuesday night; and while I’m not sure Sinatra was singing about Long Island when he said “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere”, I’m fairly certain both candidates will depart Hempstead feeling battle tested and combat tough after a night of heated debate there.  CNN’s Candy Crowley was tapped by the Commission on Presidential Debates to host the second contest between the presidential hopefuls and 82 “uncommitted” voters were selected by Gallup from the New York area to participate in a “town hall” format where they were given the opportunity to directly ask the candidates questions.

Two men; about a dozen questions from a group of uncommitted New Yorkers; and a moderator to keep the conversation moving.  Sounds simple enough.

It was clear from the word go that even last-minute tweaks of the debate rules did very little to clarify the format beyond the two minutes allotted both candidates to respond to each question.  Crowley allowed follow-up remarks on some of the questions; she prompted them on others.  Frankly, it was a little chaotic and probably extremely frustrating for the average viewer to watch.

It was also quite obvious from the opening question that President Obama had learned from the first debate’s terrible performance and came ready to play.  On balance, the bar was set pretty low; but he certainly brought the A Game.  He was engaged.  He was “energetic” – to steal a word from the Obama campaign.  And as much as they’d like to avoid the word, he even appeared a bit angry.  At times, both his voice and his body language said he was more than annoyed with Governor Romney and he made every effort to return the favor by interrupting his challenger and pulling an Al Gore by invading Romney’s personal space as the men moved back-and-forth from the front of the room to their stools.  He was clearly a man that realized after the last debate that he was going to have to do more than just show up.

Governor Romney appeared, by all accounts, far less comfortable in this kind of setting than the traditional debate format.  Crowley’s inconsistent follow-up time allotment threw off his rhythm and he appeared visibly frustrated that President Obama was allowed to make assertions and accusations that could go unchecked or responded to.  (As a viewer, it frustrated me too.  I wanted to see these guys debate the issues; not move on to the next mutant in the crowd with another question he/she could barely read off a note card.)  He seemed to catch his stride after the first fifteen minutes or so and eased into the format as the debate went on.  That is, until the moderator dropped the bomb of the evening by fact-checking and siding with the president on the Benghazi question.

We’ll get to specifics in a minute; but since we’re talking about the debate format and whatnot, it is worth mentioning how undeniably game-changing that exchange really was.

If you missed the debate, go here for a rundown.  I covered it immediately after the debate – half because I needed to “fact-check” the matter for myself and half because I was really bleeping angry.

The quick and dumb version goes something like this.  President Obama said the day after the Benghazi attack he stood in the Rose Garden and called it an “act of terror.”  Governor Romney used his time to challenge that assertion.  The President doubled down.  Crowley stepped in and defended the president’s position.  Governor Romney looked stunned and any momentum Romney had was gone.

Was it game-changing or debate-winning for the average viewer?

If they were still paying attention at that point, probably.  It was a realllly awkward moment.  I know I’ve never seen anything like it in a presidential debate.  My first reaction was to ask, “What the hell is she doing weighing in like that?  She’s the moderator.”  My second reaction was to hope Governor Romney would pick himself up – which he did, but the moment was lost.

The sad reality is that for the average viewer, this was probably the pivotal moment for the issue of the administration’s poor handling of the September 11 terrorist attack.  The fact that it was a major part of the debate will give it legs for a few days, but it probably just became a settled issue for millions that won’t take the time to look at the Rose Garden transcript for themselves.  That’s the true injustice of this debate.

Candy Crowley’s nothing but a TV personality, but in that moment she acted as if she was the preeminent voice on any and all facts as they related to the debate.  She could have intervened similarly countless times throughout the debate to fact-check; and she chose not to.  Why was this issue so critically important?

I’m not the type to immediately cry foul after a debate that’s poorly moderated, but one would be terribly naive not to question her motive.

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Specifics.  Debates are about specifics; about the issues, right?

In a perfect world, yes.  In this one, let’s be real.  The average viewer cares about the window dressing and little more – maybe one or two issues, at best.  So, for those of you looking for your one or two issues, here we go…

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QUESTION: Mr. President, Governor Romney, as a 20-year-old college student, all I hear from professors, neighbors and others is that when I graduate, I will have little chance to get employment. What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?

First off, this kid better get ready.  SNL’s about to spoof the hell out of him this weekend.  Not because he was the worst in the crowd, but certainly because he was the first.  Did I mention there were some serious trolls in that crowd?  Wow.

Romney kinda punted on this one so he could use the opportunity to talk about his time as Governor of Massachusetts and to reassure college students and parents that he’s not going to kill the Pell grant program and make student loans a thing of the past – like the president, his minions, and phony academics in college classrooms across this country have been trying to make young people believe throughout this campaign.

President Obama said the kid had “a bright future.”  That’s swell.  Another promise he has no way of knowing how to deliver on.  Kid may be a total dolt.  His future may be recycling soda cans six months or six years from now.

Then the president also elected to punt and spent the balance of his time talking about oil, natural gas, solar, bio-fuels, energy efficient cars, making the rich “pay a little more.”

Romney crept back in and stole question number one when Crowley refocused the discussion.

ROMNEY: Well what you’re seeing in this country is 23 million people struggling to find a job. And a lot of them, as you say, Candy, have been out of work for a long, long, long time. The president’s policies have been exercised over the last four years and they haven’t put Americans back to work.

We have fewer people working today than we had when the president took office. If the — the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent when he took office, it’s 7.8 percent now. But if you calculated that unemployment rate, taking back the people who dropped out of the workforce, it would be 10.7 percent.

And one thing that the president said, which I want to make sure that we understand, he said that I said we should take Detroit bankrupt. And that’s right. My plan was to have the company go through bankruptcy like 7-Eleven did and Macy’s and Condell (ph) Airlines and come out stronger.

And I know he keeps saying, you want to take Detroit bankrupt. Well, the president took Detroit bankrupt. You took General Motors bankrupt. You took Chrysler bankrupt. So when you say that I wanted to take the auto industry bankrupt, you actually did.

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QUESTION: Your energy secretary, Steven Chu, has now been on record three times stating it’s not policy of his department to help lower gas prices. Do you agree with Secretary Chu that this is not the job of the Energy Department?

Obama again took a pass.  How could he not?  He “hired” the guy.  If the man asking the question had really done his homework, he would have asked why that same Energy Secretary is cool with $8 or $9 gas?

Instead the president boasted about raising full efficiency standards so in a decade we’ll be able to go twice as far on our a tank of our $8 gas.  He spent the balance bragging about what the private sector was doing in natural gas and oil exploration and took credit for it.  Oh, and once again he championed alternative energy resources like wind and solar power – that can’t seem to get off the ground even with billions of tax payer dollars to support them – and said they were the competitive industries of the future.  Haven’t we heard that somewhere before?

Romney was quick to rebut… and offered a great line in the process.

Well, let’s look at the president’s policies, all right, as opposed to the rhetoric, because we’ve had four years of policies being played out. And the president’s right in terms of the additional oil production, but none of it came on federal land. As a matter of fact, oil production is down 14 percent this year on federal land, and gas production was down 9 percent. Why? Because the president cut in half the number of licenses and permits for drilling on federal lands, and in federal waters.

So where’d the increase come from? Well a lot of it came from the Bakken Range in North Dakota. What was his participation there? The administration brought a criminal action against the people drilling up there for oil, this massive new resource we have. And what was the cost? 20 or 25 birds were killed and brought out a migratory bird act to go after them on a criminal basis.

President Obama’s follow-up question response was double-awesome.  He blamed world-wide demand and tried to paint Romney as anti-coal even though his own Vice President said coal power was more dangerous than terrorism.

The debate disintegrated at that point into a shouting match.  Half the audience was changing the channel and the other half was crossing fingers a punch would get thrown.  I just watched patiently hoping Candy Crowley would actually start munching on candy.  I pictured a bowl behind the podium.  You?

Romney closed by saying,

I don’t think the American people believe that. I will fight for oil, coal and natural gas. And the proof, the proof of whether a strategy is working or not is what the price is that you’re paying at the pump. If you’re paying less than you paid a year or two ago, why, then, the strategy is working. But you’re paying more. When the president took office, the price of gasoline here in Nassau County was about $1.86 a gallon. Now, it’s $4.00 a gallon

Crowley gave the president one more chance to explain why gas prices are growing like her waist line… She asked, “Is $4 gas the new normal?”

Instead he chose to once again remind us all how bad things were when he took office.  Damn Bush!!!   He then attempted to make the case that gas was $1.80/gallon when he took office because the economy was in shambles.  Folks, just forget that you ever paid less than $3/gallon for gas.  That never happened.  Trust me.  You dreamed it.

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QUESTION: In what new ways to you intend to rectify the inequalities in the workplace, specifically regarding females making only 72 percent of what their male counterparts earn?

President Obama opened by telling a story about his mother and grandmother that probably hit home with many similarly situated.  Score one for the O Team.  He then reminded the audience that he signed into law the Lily Ledbetter Act which aimed to rectify said workplace inequalities.  He was scoring big points on the issue, but then decided to turn sharply left and rant about the student loan industry.

Governor Romney then took center stage and handed the president a clear win on the issue by rambling about appointing women to his Cabinet in Massachusetts.  He bragged about having to do research to find qualified women candidates as if they were hiding under rocks and then tooted his own horn because the University of Albany said his administration had the more women in leadership positions than any state in the country.

Score one in the results department Gov Romney.  Too bad the delivery was bleeping awfullll.

Huge win for Obama on an issue of critical importance to women voters; and one that should not have been conceded so easily.  Debate prep was more than lacking on that issue.

Crowley then gave the president yet another present by saying “Mr. President, why don’t you get in on this quickly, please?”  A rebuttal opportunity not afforded to Romney in similar fashion, mind you…

President Obama then used his bonus time to mislead the American People on his administration’s stance on religious institutions being forced to pay for contraceptives and to blatantly lie about Governor Romney’s position on the role of government.  President Obama – yes President Obama – said,

 ”You know a major difference in this campaign is that Governor Romney feels comfortable having politicians in Washington decide the health care choices that women are making.”

I’m still laughing.

If you need me to explain why that is funny… keep waiting.  I’ll be sure to get back to you, let’s just say never.

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QUESTION: Governor Romney, I am an undecided voter, because I’m disappointed with the lack of progress I’ve seen in the last four years. However, I do attribute much of America’s economic and international problems to the failings and missteps of the Bush administration.Since both you and President Bush are Republicans, I fear a return to the policies of those years should you win this election. What is the biggest difference between you and George W. Bush, and how do you differentiate yourself from George W. Bush?

This is what I like to refer to as the “Make a Republican criticize another Republican on national television” portion of the debate.

To his credit, Governor Romney didn’t get too carried away with the exercise.  He did make one thing clear.  They’re  different people in different times.  And while that may sound simplistic, its as true as anything else anyone on that stage said Tuesday night.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, take away 9/11 and George Bush is the big government domestic agenda Republican Dems and Lefties have always wanted.  Barring another 9/11, the question’s pointless.

Obama used the question as a way to, yet again, remind the audience he inherited Bush’s mess.  He then stepped into a nice little mess of his own creation.

“Well, first of all, I think it’s important to tell you that we did come in during some tough times. We were losing 800,000 jobs a month when I started. But we had been digging our way out of policies that were misplaced and focused on the top doing very well and middle class folks not doing well.

Now, we’ve seen 30 consecutive — 31 consecutive months of job growth; 5.2 million new jobs created. And the plans that I talked about will create even more. But when Governor Romney says that he has a very different economic plan, the centerpiece of his economic plan are tax cuts. That’s what took us from surplus to deficit. When he talks about getting tough on China, keep in mind that Governor Romney invested in companies that were pioneers of outsourcing to China, and is currently investing in countries — in companies that are building surveillance equipment for China to spy on its own folks.”

Romney would get his moment of redemption, eventually.   Crowley moved on to another question, and then another, and then another… even though the president had just threw out some pretty outrageous allegations.

(Much much later in the debate)

ROMNEY: Just going to make a point. Any investments I have over the last eight years have been managed by a blind trust. And I understand they do include investments outside the United States, including in — in Chinese companies.

Mr. President, have you looked at your pension? Have you looked at your pension?

OBAMA: I’ve got to say…

ROMNEY: Mr. President, have you looked at your pension?

OBAMA: You know, I — I don’t look at my pension. It’s not as big as yours so it doesn’t take as long.

ROMNEY: Well, let me give you some advice.

OBAMA: I don’t check it that often.

ROMNEY: Let me give you some advice. Look at your pension. You also have investments in Chinese companies. You also have investments outside the United States. You also have investments through a Cayman’s trust.

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QUESTION: Mr. President, I voted for you in 2008. What have you done or accomplished to earn my vote in 2012? I’m not that optimistic as I was in 2012. Most things I need for everyday living are very expensive.

First off - “Most things I need for everyday living are very expensive.”  That’s your follow-up?  That’s your question and that’s all you could think of?  Who chose these people?  Anyone else shocked he voted for Obama in 2008?

President Obama recapped his many promises kept over the last four years.  Needless to say the list was short.  He then turned the conversation to Congressional Republicans and the evil right-wing assault on Planned Parenthood.

If you don’t have a record… just talk about something else.

Romney was quick to pounce and delivered what may have been one of his most effective points of the night.

 ”He said that by now we’d have unemployment at 5.4 percent. The difference between where it is and 5.4 percent is 9 million Americans without work.

He said he would have by now put forward a plan to reform Medicare and Social Security, because he pointed out they’re on the road to bankruptcy. He would reform them. He’d get that done. He hasn’t even made a proposal on either one.

He said in his first year he’d put out an immigration plan that would deal with our immigration challenges. Didn’t even file it.”

He said that he’d cut in half the deficit. He hasn’t done that either. In fact, he doubled it. He said that by now middle-income families would have a reduction in their health insurance premiums by $2,500 a year. It’s gone up by $2,500 a year. And if Obamacare is passed, or implemented — it’s already been passed — if it’s implemented fully, it’ll be another $2,500 on top.

When he took office, 32 million people were on food stamps. Today, 47 million people are on food stamps. How about the growth of the economy? It’s growing more slowly this year than last year, and more slowly last year than the year before.

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QUESTION: Mr. Romney, what do you plan on doing with immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as productive members of society?

This was actually my favorite audience member of the night.  First, neither candidate could get her name right.

That was fun.

Then I realized she was also the woman that was constantly in the background; barely paying attention; and completely blowing off Governor Romney the entire evening when he spoke.  ”Undecided’s”, my ass.

She was also the woman hugging Michelle Obama immediately following the debate.  Gonna have to look for a video tribute to that one.

As to the question at hand, here’s the link to the transcript.  Read it for yourself.

President Obama did absolutely nothing in his first four years that could possibly lead me to believe he has any intention of handling this in a second term.  He and his fellow Dems had control of both Houses for two years and chose to do nothing.  NOTHING.

And Governor Romney offered nothing in the primary campaign that led me to believe he has much of a plan either.  He ran from the “self-deportation” comment just as fast as President Obama ran from his record of not touching the subject for four years.

If I had to pick a winner here, it’s Romney; but only because of this…

“I asked the president a question I think Hispanics and immigrants all over the nation have asked. He was asked this on Univision the other day. Why, when you said you’d filed legislation in your first year didn’t you do it? And he didn’t answer. He — he doesn’t answer that question. He said the standard bearer wasn’t for it.

I’m glad you thought I was a standard bearer four years ago, but I wasn’t.

Four years ago you said in your first year you would file legislation.

In his first year, I was just getting — licking my wounds from having been beaten by John McCain, all right. I was not the standard bearer.

My — my view is that this president should have honored his promise to do as he said.”

Points for a reminder of broken promises.  Maybe a few for humility and humor.  Little more…

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Then the Libya question came and the whole thing went to hell and back.  Again, go here for more…

The debate closed with a gun control question – where Romney scored another point for “bipartisanship” and appeared the happy little moderate – and the obligatory “What’s the biggest misconception about you?” question.  Again, you’re going to have to reference the transcript.  The answers to both were far too painful to recap.

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So what’s the final take?  

The format was awful and should forever be removed from the Commission’s plan unless it is truly a town hall with open discussion.  The candidates being handcuffed just added to the sense of frustration that seemed to be the central theme of the night’s debate.

The moderator was a joke.  If she ever gets another gig where people actually tune in to watch her, I’ll be astonished.  And no, CNN doesn’t count.  I said where people actually watch.

Governor Romney won on total question victories and he clearly won the night on the issues.  But… and its a really big but.  The Benghazi/Rose Garden/moderator debacle soiled the contest leaving President Obama the likely victor in the eyes of the average viewer.  President Obama showed up.  He still offered very little; but with the assistance of Candy Crowley, he won the night.

Its by all accounts a totally ridiculous way to win; but a win all the same.

Will it move the needle?  

Absolutely not.  I’ll be shocked if there’s a bump either way.  Nothing new was discussed therein.  The only thing that could have potentially been game-changing was the Libya question… and we know how that turned out.

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