海角大神

Presidential debate: Obama is back

President Obama seemed steady and relaxed in last night's presidential debate, Reich writes, a departure from Obama's rigid and passive performance in the first presidential debate.

He鈥檚 back.聽

Last night our president was articulate and forceful 鈥� in sharp contrast to his performance in the first presidential debate. He stated his beliefs. He defended his record. He told America where he wanted to take the nation in his second term.聽

And he explained where Romney wanted to take us.聽

For example: 鈥淩omney says he鈥檚 got a five-point plan. Governor Romney doesn鈥檛 have a five-point plan; he has a one-point plan. And that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. That鈥檚 been his philosophy in the private sector; that鈥檚 been his philosophy as governor; that鈥檚 been his philosophy as a presidential candidate. You can make a lot of money and pay lower tax rates than somebody who makes a lot less. You can ship jobs overseas and get tax breaks for it. You can invest in a company, bankrupt it, lay off the workers, strip away their pensions, and you still make money.鈥�

And:

鈥淕overnor Romney 鈥� was on 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� just two weeks ago, and he was asked, is it fair for somebody like you, making $20 million a year, to pay a lower tax rate than a nurse or a bus driver, somebody making $50,000 a year? And he said, yes, I think that鈥檚 fair. Not only that, he said, I think that鈥檚 what grows the economy. Well, I fundamentally disagree with that.鈥�

Obama told voters what Romney鈥檚 plan was for women (take away their freedom of choice), and for Hispanics (allow police to stop them and demand proof of citizenship, as in the Arizona law 鈥渢hat鈥檚 his [Romney鈥檚] policy, and it鈥檚 bad policy.鈥�)

He took responsibility for the security lapse in Libya, but made sure Americans understood the danger in Romney鈥檚 shoot-from-the-hip, rush to judgment approach to foreign policy.聽

And the President explained why the way to create more jobs and to get the economy back on track is to strengthen the middle class, in sharp contrast to Romney鈥檚 trickle-down redux.聽

Romney was as combative as in the first debate, but our newly-invigorated president made Romney鈥檚 combativeness look like that of a child in a tantrum rather than a principled adult with facts and detailed proposals to support his position.聽

Romney was also an automaton 鈥� moving robot-like across the stage, repeating the same scripted paragraphs in answers to different questions as if he had been programmed with a limited number of options.聽

Obama, by contrast, seemed steady and relaxed.聽

The debate left me relieved 鈥� the President鈥檚 performance will almost certainly stop Romney鈥檚 momentum, and may turn the tide 鈥� but also left me perplexed. Where was this Barack Obama in the last presidential debate? Was it the altitude in Denver, a failure of preparation, exhaustion, a temporary emotional glitch?聽

Mostly, though, I鈥檓 glad Barack is back.聽