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{"id":2406,"date":"2012-10-04T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-04T08:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2012\/10\/expected-results-of-the-presidential-debate.html"},"modified":"2012-10-04T08:08:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-04T08:08:00","slug":"expected-results-of-the-presidential-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2012\/10\/expected-results-of-the-presidential-debate.html","title":{"rendered":"Expected results of the Presidential debate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

When Bill Maher has declared Romney the winner<\/a>, I guess he\u2019s \u00a0the winner. \u00a0Maybe I just saw these two fellows for what I saw them as \u2013 Romney a smart businessman, well prepared to discuss finances, and probably a decent fellow with manners, up against Obama who is really only good in a prepared setting, and who greatly resents not being obeyed at the snap of his fingers. <\/p>\n

The telling moments were when they were both\u00a0interrupted\u00a0by Jim Lehrer. \u00a0It happened more often to Romney, but when it did,\u00a0Romney\u00a0made it clear he was going to respond to Obama\u2019s repeated attacks. \u00a0He was firm, but he wasn\u2019t rude. \u00a0When Obama was\u00a0interrupted\u00a0 he got almost irritated, and at one point accused Lehrer of \u2018interrupting\u2019\u00a0him. \u00a0You could tell a difference right there. \u00a0One leadership, one resentful of being crossed.<\/p>\n

But now we\u2019re in full damage control mode. \u00a0My guesses for what you will see:<\/p>\n

1. The MSM will focus on how Romney was really wrong and really lying, and what must Obama do to call him out on all those lies and\u00a0fallacies. I expect Obama\u2019s people, like David Axelrod, will be given blank checks in this regard, rather than forcing him to confront possible problems with Obama\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

2. Big Bird. \u00a0Just like the 90s, when Gingrich famously talked of cutting\u00a0funding\u00a0to PBS, expect pictures of Big Bird in a homeless shelter Oscar the Grouch panhandling.<\/p>\n

3. Excuses. \u00a0It was Obama\u2019s anniversary (I wonder if they agreed to have it the night of his anniversary just so, if Obama did poorly, they could point and say it\u2019s\u00a0because\u00a0he wanted to be with his lovely wife). \u00a0Romney got away with lies. \u00a0The moderator was lousy. \u00a0Bad atmospherics. \u00a0Whatever.<\/p>\n

4. Fact checking. \u00a0I don\u2019t know if Republicans are liars,\u00a0incompetent,\u00a0stupid, or what, but they always seem to be more wrong more often than the Democrats. \u00a0I imagine all the \u2018fact checking\u2019 will benefit Obama. Just a hunch.<\/p>\n

5. The Catholic Blogosphere. \u00a0This will be fun. \u00a0The Catholic blogosphere, usually a fraternal organization, has devoted much time in these last years to insisting that what the Bishops really mean is that we should call curses down on both parties and vote for a third party candidate instead (usually, but not always, Ron Paul). There is a subtle \u2018people who really love Jesus will clearly vote the way I know the Bishops should have meant you should vote\u2019. \u00a0And they\u2019ve been gaining steam in recent months with two less than desirable candidates. \u00a0To me, they\u2019re still the same candidates as before the debate, so nothing has really changed. But those who thought it was getting easier to call for the third party\u00a0option\u00a0will swing into full combat mode, making it clear that any\u00a0arguments\u00a0against third party options or for either major party is nothing shy of service to the Devil and his minions. <\/p>\n

No links yet, as this is just\u00a0beginning\u00a0 Just a few guesses based on past behavior where last night\u2019s debate performance will lead.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"