U.S. Presidential
Debate: Pro-Obama Media Suffers Major Defeat (Le Figaro, France)
"At Denver
tonight, Romney had only the camera and his opponent in front of him. Deprived
of the 'filter' of the journalists who impede him, Romney finally demonstrated a
capacity to 'connect' directly with the average American. ... Unable up to now
to look at Obama as critically as they evaluate Romney, establishment
journalists will now have to take into account a good performance by the man
for whom they will not vote."
I don't know if this debate will impact the race for the
White House. But from my point of view, there were two winners and one loser in
the first direct confrontation between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
1) The big winner
is the debate format.
For the first time since such debates began (i.e.: since
the debate Carter-Reagan debate in 1980), we witnessed a genuine exchange. The
rules weren't as strict as they have been. Journalist Jim Lehrer, who did great
job steering the debate, was neutral, relaxed and effective. He allowed the
debaters go longer then initially allotted, but at the same time, he forced them
to remain on the themes he chose. The flow of the arguments were clearer and
more informative. We now better understand what both candidates have on offer.
2) The second
winner is Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney has showed himself to be much more relaxed,
friendly and pragmatic than he did at the Republican Convention. The candidate
was precise and aggressive without being rude; pugnacious while being presidential.
Mitt Romney corrected several un-truths that he is
constantly being bludgeoned with by U.S. media do-gooders.
The main un-truth was that he wants to cut taxes for the
rich.
The second lie: Romney thinks regulations are bad for the
free market. Now Mitt Romney has clearly stated otherwise - and rightly so. The
issue is the quality of regulation, not the quantity.
The third wrong message peddled by Democrats: Romney is
an extremist. Mitt Romney tonight reminded people that he worked constructively
with an overwhelming Democratic majority when he was elected governor of
Massachusetts.
3) The loser is
the pro-Obama media
For months now, the media has taken to disliking Mitt
Romney. It's true that he made plenty of mistakes, which didn't help. Policy
errors, communication errors, errors in terms of political priorities. But at Denver
tonight, Romney had only the camera and his opponent in front of him. Deprived
of the "filter" of the journalists who impede him, Romney finally
demonstrated a capacity to "connect" directly with the average
American.
Unable up to now to look at Obama as critically as they evaluate
Romney, establishment journalists will now have to take into account a good
performance by the man for whom they will not vote.
My biggest surprise: Barack Obama has been bested. He defended
his positions badly - however great his ability to communicate. We didn't see
that tonight. Without a teleprompter, the president isn't so good.
It is too early to say whether this debate changed the
course of the race. Barack Obama will have at least two other debates to catch
up. But Mitt Romney, much less known to the public than the incumbent president,
scored points tonight.
