The first presidential debate was last week, and boy, was it a doozy.
Or that’s what the media will have you think.
Most news sources have declared Mitt Romney the clear winner of the debate, but really, it’s more complicated than that.
(When are politics simple, anyway?)
President Obama didn’t lose the debate by any means; he just didn’t walk all over Romney like we thought he would. By letting Romney spit his practiced “zingers,” Obama let him look like a very confident liar.
Now Romney can either continue his “Etch-A-Sketched” campaign or return to what he’s been saying forever. Stephen Colbert demonstrated in an episode of “The Colbert Report” last week just how Romney made the change: He turned an Etch A Sketch into an adorable baby rabbit.
They weren’t the only two to debate in the past week: Jon Stewart met with Bill O’Reilly in “The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium.” They certainly brought their A-game.
We imagine preparing for a pundit battle is similar to how Romney studied for the debate: lots of rehearsed zingers.
“The Rumble” was “moderated by journalist E.D. Hill, who kicked off the night’s comic side by introducing O’Reilly as ‘the gargantuan 6-foot-4’ and Stewart as a ‘hobbit-like 5-foot-7-inches tall,’” according to USA Today.
The two debates were similar in tone, as they were composed of two men who have come to agree that they fundamentally disagree with each other for money.
That’s not to say that “The Rumble” was solely to earn money; all proceeds will be donated to charity. O’Reilly and Stewart are just able to keep their respective jobs because they are paid to have an opinion. We would argue that Stewart is slightly more fair and balanced than his counterpart O’Reilly, but that may be because the “liberal media” is more truthful and honest than those on Fox News’ payroll.
Maybe Stewart and O’Reilly did what Obama and Romney couldn’t achieve. Maybe they stood by their convictions more than what we saw in Colorado. But that was only one debate.
What if Obama let Romney set himself up for a future failure by lulling him into a false sense of security?
It kinda puts the whole thing into perspective.
Besides, it might be unfair of us to compare “The Rumble” to the presidential debate. One was for entertainment purposes, and one was to inform voters on the issues.
“The Rumble” might have just done a better job of capturing the attention of viewers because it was flashier; Romney did his best to connect with his audience, and Obama let him think he did.
Many people claimed that Romney won because he ended up not totally falling on his face and because Obama didn’t call him out on any lies.
Fear not the uncertainty that debate caused you, eligible voters. Keep your faith, for there is a light in the distance and his name is Joe Biden. He has heard your prayers, and he will answer them.
