In their final debate in Florida, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are discussing a range of topics both foreign and domestic. The debate started slowly and then veered quickly off topic into domestic policy. Education, budgets and unemployment dominated. Libya was covered in one short section and it is surprising that Romney didn’t dig deeper on the issue to put the President on his heels. Romney looks much less aggressive than previously, perhaps feeling that he has momentum on his side. He has repeated the line, “attacking me isn’t leadership.”
Obama on the other hand, is clearly pushing the issue. He continues to press on the changes in opinion that Romney has made in his foreign policy stances over time. Romney pressed for funding the military for more ships and planes, which the US has fewer of at any time since 1916. Obama pounced on Romney telling him that he needed to spend some more time “looking at how our military works” because “the nature of our military has changed”.
In the most memorable line of the night, Obama quipped that the US also has fewer horses and bayonets than 1916. He continued to point out that we now have battleships and submarines and that military planning is not a game of Battleship, counting the total number of ships. A searing exchange that painfully underscores that Romney doesn’t fully appreciate the evolution of the modern military.
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Some tweets:
“Is that first time Romney hasn’t convinced a moderator to give him more time?” @chucktodd
“Romney sounds more like Obama’s running mate than his opponent tonight” @carr2n
Another effective line from Obama: “You keep trying to airbrush history.”
Now Romney is picking up steam and is passionate about government not investing in companies. Investment in basic research at universities is fine, but not for companies. When Obama tries to rebut, a clearly energized Romney snaps: “I’m still speaking!”
And now we’re back into domestic policy. Romney talking about foodstamps, the economy and the fact that hiring teachers won’t get us out of economic malaise. Wow, what a terrible ending. Now for the closing remarks.
Well, at times Obama painted Romney as out of touch and at others too inexperienced and “all over the map” for the Commander and Chief. From the beginning, Romney was intent on staying out of any squirmishes and did not delineate many differences with the President’s policies. Overall, a very toned-down Romney perhaps trying to show a measured approach. Romney was trying hard to address his stance on the auto bailout, which made for some strange answers.
