Presidential debate live blog, open thread

10/16/2012 8:52pm by 457

Obama smoked Romney.

10:37pm Obama gives a great answer to Barry about the role of govt and everyone getting a fair shot. Obama invoked 47%. Damn.

10:35pm Romney implicitly brings up 47%. Weird.

10:34pm Romney: “government does not create jobs, government does not create jobs.” So Romney won’t create 12m jobs?

10:24pm Obama says Romney was for the assault weapons ban before he was against it.

10:10pm Obama hits Romney hard on making political issue of the ambassador’s death in libya.

10:07pm Romney: Mr. President have you looked at your pension? Obama: I don’t look at my pension, doesn’t take that long, it’s not as big as yours. Audience laughs, approval rating goes up. Here’s video of the back and forth and the audience laughing.

I love when Romney questions for not doing things on immigration that Romney will NEVER do.

Video: Romney interrupts Candy Crowley rudely and audience approval meter plummets:


Obama goes after Romney HARD about his math not adding up for his $5 trillion tax cut. The audience LOVED it, the meter CNN has for its focus group soared:

Obama says Romney’s math doesn’t add up, audience meter goes way up.

Then Romney got up and said, “of course the math adds up” and the meter plummeted:

Romney responds to Obama and says, “of course it adds up,” talking about his $5 trillion tax cut for the rich. His audience approval meter plummets.

CNN’s Candy Crowley then tried to move to the next question, Romney interrupted her, and the audience approval plummeted.

Romney interrupts CNN’s Candy Crowley again, and audience approval plummets again.

Obama really is good tonight. He was restraining himself during the first debate.

9:23pm Tell Romney to STFU, Candy. Romney’s numbers just plunged on CNN’s insta-check focus group.

9:21pm Obama says yeah, Romney could bring gas prices down by getting us into another recession.

9:19pm Not true, Governor Romney. Not true. Romney trying to ask Obama a question. Obama trying to answer, Romney trying to cut him off. Obama is doing awfully well. Romney less so. Romney bordering on being a bit of a bully. “You’ll get your chance in a second,” Romney tells Obama. I’m curious how this is coming off to voters.

“This plant kills.” Obama points out what Romney said about coal when he was governor of Mass. Zing again.

Obama on gas prices. Btw, that gas prices question is based on a lie, the Energy Secretary never said that.

Candy shuts Mitt up, hallelujah. She ain’t no Jim Lehrer, that’s for sure.

Obama: Romney not telling the truth. He wanted to let the car companies shut down. Gov Romney doesn’t have a five point plan, he has a one point plan! Zing. To help people at the top. You go Obama girl!

Romney goes for jugular. Blames Obama for unemployment. How will Obama respond? Romney drops the 12m new jobs lie! As I pointed out earlier, 12m jobs is the number that economists say the economy will produce anyway, even without Mr. Romney in office. So he’s lying by saying he has a plan to create 12 jobs.

And Candy breaks the rules by asking a follow up question. You go girl!

President is giving more specifics than Romney, which is interesting (because last time showed that the details don’t matter, even lies work if you sound like you know what you’re talking about). Obama also just mentioned Romney wanting to let Detroit go bankrupt. He wouldn’t have said something like that last time.

Romney talking about jobs. Romney’s going a bit fast again, stumbled twice, a bit nervous, but speaking well – sounds again like he knows what he’s talking about.

I’ll be watching and commenting here.  Join us in the comments.

Print FriendlyPrint


@aravosis | Facebook | Google+. Editor of AMERICAblog, joint JD/MSFS from Georgetown, worked in the US Senate, World Bank, Children's Defense Fund, and as a stringer for the Economist. A frequent TV pundit, he has been on The O'Reilly Factor, Hardball, World News Tonight, Nightline & Reliable Sources. Full bio and .

Share This Post
© 2013 AMERICAblog. All rights reserved. · Entries RSS