Bring me that imbecile Axelrod ... Axelrod! Axelrod! Axelrod!
Posted on 10/15/2012 7:14:40 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The short answer is: because he’s got nothing. There is no record to run on, no argument to make for four more years. The ideology that drives him is outdated and bankrupt. He has, in fact, implemented his policies – Republicans have had little means of stopping him – and those policies are the problem.
But there’s a slightly longer answer too. Obama’s advisors will read the mainstream media assessment of the vice-presidential debate – they actually think a debate that turned women across America off of Biden was a draw, or a Biden win – and conclude that what the president needs to do is find his inner Joe Biden. Appeal to his base by going on the attack, perhaps interrupting, being visibly annoyed at the trend of Romney’s statements, and vigorously asserting untruths in the interest of racking up effective soundbites.
Petulant attack-doggery isn’t Obama’s style, so I don’t predict that he will simply adopt the Biden posture for this week’s debate. What I do think is that Obama and his handlers will be looking to enhance the president’s trademark pace and balance in public speaking (which does descend rather often into a sonorous drone) with more Biden-like spice. This won’t come naturally to Obama, any more than his occasionally put-on “black accent” sounds natural. It’s not who he is, and he won’t be good at it.
Of course, the townhall format this week can be worked to Obama’s advantage, and no doubt will be. Obama need not be thrown softballs, but he will get questions framed to suit the answers he is likely to have – and he probably won’t be troubled much with questions framed in a confrontational manner.
Romney probably will be. He will have to think more quickly on his feet, turning hostile questions into jumping-off points for getting his message across, while conveying a sense of goodwill and avoiding red herrings. If there is a “silly question” for the debaters – say, “If you were an Oscar-winning movie, which one would you be?” – it may well be barbed with false implications about conservatism, Republicans, or even Romney himself.
Romney will have more choices to make in his approach and substance. There are a lot of things he could say; what will be the most effective? We can reasonably suppose he will perform again as well as he did in Debate 1.
Obama doesn’t have those choices, because he’s trying to stay in office – to tend cronies and inflict ideological constraints on the people – using arguments that don’t accurately represent what he’s been doing for nearly four years. He has no intention of changing course, regardless of what the current course is inflicting on the American people. Yet he can’t argue in the campaign for his current course – at least not to anyone but his base – because it is so ridden with failure and the scent of corruption. Americans continue to turn against his signature legislation, ObamaCare, and even the New York Times is beginning to doubt the effectiveness of his foreign policy.
So we can expect to hear more about Romney giving a “$5 trillion tax break” to the richest Americans, along with the other canards about Romney-Ryan policy (e.g., tossing Grandma off the cliff) being trotted out over and over by the Obama campaign. These mendacious soundbites have lost their impact, but what else does Obama have? Personal attacks on Romney?
If the president makes a decision on retaliating in Libya before Tuesday night, he may be able to speak at the debate from a perspective of putative decisiveness, the commander-in-chief moving forces around. A new line of tactical operations would blunt Romney’s justifiable criticism of how the White House has handled the whole matter. I don’t foresee this dynamic winning the debate for Obama – a belated military response has little hope of trumping the public’s nearer-to-home concern about the US economy, the national debt, and constitutional freedoms – but if it comes off, it will probably be gratifying for his Amen corner in the MSM.
Gratifying them is not enough, however. Whether he plays to his base or the MSM, Obama will not be playing to the constituency that matters: the majority of likely voters. His appeal to that constituency in 2008 depended on his being an unknown quantity, and that’s what he no longer is. Obama doesn’t have any more tricks in his bag. This is it.
"President Obama, are you as wonderful as we think you are?"
"President Obama, is there any you are unable to do?"
"President Obama, we just think you are adorable 'eye candy.' Don't you agree?"
"President Obama, are you as wonderful as we think you are?"
"President Obama, is there anything you are unable to do?"
"President Obama, we just think you are adorable 'eye candy.' Don't you agree?"
Bring me that imbecile Axelrod ... Axelrod! Axelrod! Axelrod!
Axelrod not about to get on that Amtrak.
It’s sort of like the sentiment, “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.”
He’ll go on about how he helps the poor, jobs are up, housing is up, our foreign relations are just great, the government is solvent. . .
and we all sit there listening and saying “Not really, no.”
Debate over, Game set match Romney
There is a high potential for remarkably stupid pop culture questions. This would be a strength for Obama and Romney's Achilles heel. No matter it's utter irrelevance to presidential politics, it could make Mitt look “out of touch”. Spin fodder for Axelrod.
“I have never seen a man more able to keep his cool than Mitt.”
He is definitely a natural born CEO. You can see why he has been as successful as he is. He just handles himself really well.
BO will attempt a cool blend of authoritative, hip assertiveness. Without a teleprompter- channeling his community organizer days when he had to deflect some hostility in the crowd and steer them around to his profound, ethereal rap.
Romney, no doubt has had to face stockholder meetings with some similar antagonism.
My money is on Romney. He is mentally agile, unlike his scripted opponent.
Obama played a few notes in this kind of arena years ago, but his extemporaneous violin will be out of tune, I suspect- he’s been surrounded by adoration. That’s why he avoids confrontational press conferences, etc., but is at home on the View and other such pablum.
Romney is up for the challenge, not driven by a personal desire to maintain a wealthy lifestyle, not messianic in his self-view.
IMHO.
Even liberals are getting skeptical of Obama. If Miss Piggy tosses softballs to the O, I think liberals will interpret this as “she’s doing that because he can’t handle the tough questions.”
The Democrat dementia isn’t going away, and we’re just waiting for Obama with the popcorn jumping impatiently.
It will be like watching an outing of the asylum for the criminally insane versus the men with the butterfly nets.
Hitler at least was a WWI hero having received the Iron Cross first and second class. O is a coward’s coward.
Wait - that IS Axelrod (or his twin)
Anybody who’s still undecided at this point has no business asking anyone any questions about anything - let alone actually voting. Theyre plants.
They should be taken down to the rivers edge and drowned.
Throw an entire nation under the bus? That must be one HUGE bus!
Uh, not necessarily...
“No, he won’t. He’ll strut out like a peacock and sound like Mussolini addressing a black shirt fascist rally.
Buckwheat is boiling cauldron of hatred under that veneer of mumbling stupidity.”
Well, if he blows the second one, what point is there for even showing up a third time?
“I’ve said it before and I will say it again. The disgrace in this election is that it remains so close. It shows you that a significant percentage of our population don’t have a clue as to what this Country is really all about.”
Good observation, but...
Honestly — do you expect this to change in the future?
The changes in the electorate that I see coming, will make things worse, not better.
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