MSNBC hosts and contributors were almost unanimous in their agreement that Mitt Romney came out ahead in Wednesday night's presidential debate.
Rachel Maddow, who thought the "debate format died a very painful death tonight," said Romney took advantage of moderator Jim Lehrer's lackluster performance. "Lehrer got rolled over by Romney over and over and over again, and it was the President's fault that he did not try to do the same thing," she said.
The debate's focus was domestic policy, "on which [Romney] is weakest," said Maddow, and yet the debate's narrow subject matter still benefited him. "Nothing on education, nothing on women's rights, nothing on immigration, nothing on Bain," she said. "We didn't talk about the things that matter."
Chris Matthews was the most visibly agitated of the group. "I don't know how he let Romney get away with the crap he threw out tonight about Social Security," he said of Obama. "Where was Obama tonight? ... I don't know what he was doing out there; he had his head down. He was enduring the debate rather than fighting it ... What was Romney doing? He was winning."
Lawrence O'Donnell had a more subdued opinion. He diffused the criticism, saying Obama "came in with a presidential strategy: [He] was not going to step down from the presidential podium and become a prosecutor. Mitt Romney was happy to take on the role of the smiling prosecutor."
Governor Martin O'Malley, the Democratic head of Maryland, agreed with O'Donnell. "The President's always had a certain dignified reserve," he said.
Ed Schultz said Obama "was not properly prepared for this tonight." Many observers noted Obama's cool demeanor during the debate; former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm tweeted during the debate, "More passion, please, sir."
Schultz also criticized Obama for not using the word "obstruction" and said the president "was afraid to use the Ryan plan as a manifesto of what these people want to do for this country. He played soft."
Likewise, Chris Hayes noted that it was "49 minutes in [the debate] before we got a Ryan budget mention, which was shocking to me."
Republican strategist Steve Schmidt summed it all up as a big victory for Romney. "[He] was in command of things from the beginning ... a startling performance, in terms of how good Mitt Romney was," he said.
"He made a good testimony tonight," the Rev. Al Sharpton said of the Republican candidate. "But he will be indicted. He's lying."
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He is the President, and he did the right thing, the next debate he will expose Romney lies.
Go, Rev.!!!!!
I was shocked at the msnbc's commentors reaction. Go back and watch and listen more carefully. You acted like amateurs jumping on Obama like you did. I am so sick of this race and I will be glad when Obama wins and all of you have something else to talk about. Always the same guests and the same comments over and over. Get out of your bubble and do a little homework now and then. Obama has a lot of statements for his ads now. He'll kill Romney with his own words.
Obama is VERY smart, he held his cards close, saw how Romney was going to act and what he was going to make a stand on (God knows Romney changes what he believes every single week!). So now, Romney has pinned himself down to certain beliefs, Obama will attack and Romney will do his flip-flopping and get all tangled in his own words...and choke himself.
You can't come out swinging when Romney is always changing what his beliefs are! Obama had to "allow" Romney to make a VERY PUBLIC stand for something and God knows Romney won't remember what those stands were (he has said that many times, that he doesn't remember what his stand was on something).
Obama in this first debate didn't want to come across as the "angry black man" that repubs have been trying to sell him as. Obama Will go for blood by the end of the debates.
Thank you I needed to hear what you said. Now I understand how Obama had to answer the questions. Beside the other two were RUDE.
Leonardo Ricardo •
I think the polls will narrow and Romney (with his slick drivel) will progress a little ... the first debate illustrated clearly, at least to me, the difference between our responsible/thinking President Obama and a socio-pathiclike greedsters on the run is glaringly obvious...Romney turned my stomach with his lies, grandstanding and simpering attempts at good-will. Mitt is damaged goods...a very scary prospect for humanity that even he has surfaced politically as a major player. Obama is steady as a rock but never forget he is facing self-righteous bigots, oppressors, exploiters and thieves who think they are emotionally and spiritually fit...the worst of the worst in terms of basic human character...but, that makes them vulnerable and they scare easily...next time (no doubt Ryan thinks he´s now going to rip Biden next week...vamos a ver).
Katie, u are spot on!
I believe that President Obama was distracted in thought...being the President he certainly has far more on his mind than just the debate...He is 24/7 the Commander-in-Chief !
I AGREE,MITT WASLYING ABOUT EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i agree mitt was changing everything he had said before!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, Mitt was lying. I bet he wont remember what he said in the debate fives minutes after it is over. Obama is byting his time before he comes in with the kill. Watch what happens. He is letting Mitt think he got him on the run when in actuality Obama is letting Mitt dig a ditch for himself.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS!!!!!!
Perhaps he was thinking of beefing up security at our embassies for the upcoming anniversary of 9/11? It's a tough decision after all, most 10 year olds would get it right, he didn't.
10 year minds posing as adult minds ought not speak out on subjects they are unable to understand...bigots, blowhards and women abusers on the run?
The media is looking for facade, acting as I feel
Governor Romney was doing. Romney was not specific in his guidelines whereas President Obama was specific in his. Romney was full of bluster and President Obama maintained his cool and candor.
Yea yea yea what JCPCali said!!
Obama brought up what Romney said,via debate rules and Romney varied. I thought Romney was rude and disrespectful to the president and the moderator.
Will you people please grow up? No, the President didn't say everything you wish he would have said. He also had the best...and only...zinger of the night when he said Mitt Romney tax plan was now "never mind". Romney was on the defensive most of the night. The President was not. Will you knee jerk liberals figure out what it takes to appeal to actual people. The President won the debate, hands down. And you guys need to get a life.
Actually I kind of liked the snark reference to how busy Romney is going to be that first day, sitting down with Dems and Repubs to work things out in a bi-partisan manner since he intends to repeal Obamacare 'on day one" which is going to make a lot of democrats unhappy. It brought home the difference between rhetoric and action.
The Pres did exactly what he planned to do, think long term by letting Romney hang himself...!
The President was very professorial, which I think was a mistake. Romney clearly lied, got facts and figures wrong and completely changed what he has been saying on the campaign. This debate will not change my vote, which is for Obama, but I give the following advice to him: drop Kerry and get a pit bull.
It was definitely not the fight I was expecting to see. Romney looked good & now he's going to be coming out it little cocky I suspose. The president didn't use any of his armor. This is for the presidency!!!
President Obama won by just being Presidential very likable
and having no gaffs. All he had to do is state facts. Romney looked to business
like and not likable at all. Notice that it forced Romney to agree more with
the President then not. This should really anger the base and make them mad as
hell at Romney. Romney needed to hit it out of the park and failed. There might
be a very slight bump in the polls for Romney and the President will still
maintain the lead by a good amount. Look for Biden to do the heavy attack on
Romney tomorrow.
@BarackObama was nowhere to be seen; no empty chair but an empty podium!!!! #Obama better WTFU!
President Obama won by just being Presidential very likable
and having no gaffs. All he had to do is state facts. Romney looked to business
like and not likable at all. Notice that it forced Romney to agree more with
the President then not. This should really anger the base and make them mad as
hell at Romney. Romney needed to hit it out of the park and failed. There might
be a very slight bump in the polls for Romney and the President will still
maintain the lead by a good amount. Look for Biden to do the heavy attack on
Romney tomorrow.
If you watch Romney over time, you begin to notice that a lot of his "plans" sound like the things President Obama has been saying. When he ticks off the five points of his economic plan they resemble Obama's(education,energy self sufficiency,etc.-- right down to the "care about the middle class"- he even uses the $250,000 dollar figure as a cut off. Of course, for me that number represents upper middle class or better. Also when his adds attack Obama they often are accusations of things he or his own campaign is or has done.
Mitt Romney--the me too, me too candidate
I have noticed that too. He is stealing Obama's ideas. I guess he thinks if Obama is ahead then I had better say what he says. It did make it hard for Obama to challenge him because he was on the same page as Obama at times. He revealed the Romney that insured all his people while Gov of Mass. Not the Romney that picked Paul Ryan and then ran from him. The man is not ready to be President.
Did Lawrence think Obama lost? Because I didn't, and I usually agree with him.
Not Obama's best effort. The good news, however, is that I happen to like specifics. I need real information in order to make an informed decision.
You guys are overreacting. This debate wasn't that one sided, and if anyone knows Obama like you should by now, he gathers information in the early debates and crushes his opponents with their statements from the first.
Romney just supplied a lot of ammo for the next five weeks.
In terms of entertainment spectacle, Romney clearly won. On a factual basis, Obama had the upper hand, but most voters don't pay attention to facts, especially budget figures. They are more likely to remember the lines about Obamacare taking money out of Medicare Advantage and money wasted on failed green-energy ventures.
Tonight Mitt Romney further proved that he thinks barking at the middle class is an economic policy. But good theatrics is not going to win the day in any crisis we face as a nation, be it domestic or in the Middle East. Changing your position according to your audience is hypocrisy; still, we seem to reward aggression over substance. Americans should have learned their lesson by now that if we do not demand substance, the world will certainly demand it of us. In the debate tonight, reason was drown out by an incessant barking that was full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Calm down, Chris! Obama got the vote!
Whoever says that Romney was not clear enough on his plans is misguided. Romney was as clear as he can be about his plans. Specifics are a little hard to state when his plans leave room for bipartisan compromise from our legislative branch, unlike Obama who uses executive orders that are not in the constitution instead of going through our elected legislative branch that has a constitutional role. Besides, if people would just jump back to 2008, Obama was never clear on his plans either. People were just blinded by the ideological hope and change that has now left this country further in debt and with a weaker military.
The moderator did not moderate, however the Prez should have been more forceful. Romney continued to lie and Obama should have call him on the 47% remark. Poor performance on the Presidents part.
He will in the next debate, also the military vets.
The debates are not a reality show, but it seems that it has become one. Since I fell asleep after a half an hour, I can't speak to much about the debate, but if Romney was more aggressive and Obama was not, what would be said if Obama was aggressive? That he was a scary Black man, arrogant and too forceful. He has been cautioned to not come across arrogant. That to me is code word for uppity. He is the POTUS. He has a right to be arrogant.
Matthews always tries to manipulate events, to his own and MSNBC's best interests. He advocates for what would be best for cable punditry. When he jabbered about MSNBC shaping events and controlling the narrative, it was actually silly. At best, MSNBC during Rachel Maddow's broadcast attracts about 1/3rd of 1% of Americans. About 1.3 million of 311 million Americans watch Maddow's top rated MSNBC show. So for Matthews to squawk about MSNBC's great influence in America is really just silly. Almost no one in America watches MSNBC ever, for any reason, under any circumstance. Matthews is a corporate showman, and in a sense he's a corporate lobbyist for MSNBC's best interests. He was trying to rally his cohorts into running with the line that Romney pummeled President Obama tonight. Matthews doesn't draw the line at pontificating and reporting the news. He tries to manipulate events for his and his corporate interests. Tonight he was blowing hot gas.
I have to agree with Chris tonight, i expected more from the president, The president failed in to shine like he should against Romney. I agree that Romney did not articulate his ideas to fix the economy or the tax code, but the president played it a little too cool. I still hope that people will realize how Mitt Romney is not the solution to anything but back to dressing his horses and driving his cadallics.
With the exceptions of Rev. Al & Lawrence, I am VERY disappointed in the panel tonight. Way to stand behind the President and the Democratic Party. You were overly critical and obviously know nothing about the President's debate style. Romney just yelled a bunch of lies and was rude to the President and Jim Lehrer and you declared him the winner. You chose style over substance. Shame on you! Didn't you see Obama taking notes to use in the future debates to crush Romney with? You all need to calm down and act like moderators and the professionals you're supposed to be. I will be watching another station for debate coverage from now on if this is the best you can do. You're as bad as Fox News. You're all concerned about your own agendas, not the American people's.
MSNBC pundits are corporate folks who work for the dollars that corporate America provides. Don't trust MSNBC.
yes, MSNBC SUX