When President Obama and Governor Romney step out in front of the Town Hall type meeting at Hofstra University tonight the race for president will be on the line. Another poor performance by Obama and his future will be headed for Hawaii. If Obama draws first blood from Romney the media will peck him to death. So here is what to expect.
The president will probably flash his smile almost as many times as Biden, but in a different way. Instead of being condescending he will do it with self deprecation and humor and an attempt to appear warm and likable. Look for the teeth, ALOT.
The president will also repeat many times how he stopped the economic free fall, bailed out the auto industry, created jobs and has put us on the right course away from the "failed policies" of the past to which Governor Romney would take us back, not forward.
But the president will more likely than not get pretty personal with the governor and accuse him of re-inventing himself. Expect Obama to directly accuse Romney of being a "flip-flopper". This will be the theme which the media will harp on beginning immediately after the debate and do so relentlessly until the election.
Romney needs to be prepared for all of this. The president's people know that the whole enchalada might be on the line tonight.
Romney will come armed with the facts, but against Obama that's a little like bringing a knife to a gun fight. He better be ready for what is coming.
Romney needs to be ready to throw Obama's record up for him to see using credible sources, not partisan research. He needs to make the case that under Obama's administration the world has become a much more dangerous place. But then he needs to be ready to answer the big question whether a Romney administration would be more interventionist or non-interventionist. Falling back on "imminent threat to the security of the United States" won't cut it. Romney better have details and specifics.
Each man will try to out "nice guy" the other. Here Romney has the edge. He really IS a nice guy, Obama just plays one on TV. Obama has a chip on his shoulder and we all know what it is, thanks to Dinesh D'souza. Obama has a seething hatred for what he perceives to be the oppressive, predominantly white, colonialist mentality that he sees in everybody except the kind of Marxist professors he sought out in college.
Romney will have the chance to really get under Obama's skin by repeatedly pointing out Obama's failures to him. He needs to do it in a nice way, and he has the capacity to pull it off. If he can get Obama to flash anger.... game, set, match.
The subject matter is supposed to be foreign policy and the questions are supposed to come from open minded voters, but since "Too Much Candy" Crowley will be moderating and has pre-selected the questions, don't look for a fair fight. She has already called the Romney/Ryan ticket the "death wish ticket".
Obama will go after Romney on his various statements regarding abortion, his health care law in Massachusetts, what will be characterized as the "lack of details" in his economic plan and his hawkish statements regarding foreign policy and the use of the military.
Romney needs to have a very successful answer for each of those things because without a teleprompter, Obama will only have a single shot with no comeback. Romney needs to exploit that weakness. Obama is not a debater, he is a poser and when pressed for depth beyond the sound bite he will crumble before our eyes.
I predict that anything but a decisive win for Romney will be portrayed by the media as a big win for Obama and that with wall to wall propaganda on that point the pendulum will swing back to Obama and may stay there.
Personally, I think there is much more on the line tonight than many people might think.
I will have real time comment on my Facebook page during the debate. Join me beginning at 9pm.
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