Mitt Romney Delivers Dynamic, Reaganesque Performance in First Debate
Republicans have good reason to be proud of Mitt Romney tonight. Though heavily derided throughout his campaign as a weak, flip-flopping conservative likely to flounder in the storm of a debate against President Obama, the Republican nominee delivered a solid, confident and dashing performance in tonight’s debate reminiscent of the days of Ronald Reagan.
Tonight’s first debate covered domestic fiscal policy, economics and public administration. Sharp contrasts, both in delivery bearing and ideas of the right and proper role of government were clearly defined.
President Obama – once the energetic, youthful and unstoppable Democrat of 2008 – was a different candidate tonight, looking tired, hesitant, easily agitated and on the defensive against both Romney and the moderator, Jim Lehrer. Romney, however, was in a rare form, maintaining a steady smile and not easily moved by his opponent.
Predictably, Obama had to defend the actions of his administration while Romney benefited from the challenger’s advantage of being an outsider looking in. Obama continued in his tendency to use the word “investment” to describe compulsory use of taxpayer dollars while Romney took a strict line and called for cuts in spending and brought the president back to 2007 when candidate Obama promised not to raise taxes in a recession.
Obama’s redirects were at best sluggish, slow and at times his tendency to look down to refer to his podium notes for protracted periods of time gave the impression that he was on the defensive, if not unable to keep up with Romney’s tempo.
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