I didn't watch the whole debate, but I thought Romney made some excellent points that Obama had zero response to. How did the rest of the debate go?

The debate proved two things; Romney will say anything (whether it's true or not) to get what he wants and he's a bully, Those are not the character traits that I look for in a leader.

Linda, what are you talking about? You can't really be serious... Say anything to get what he wants? A bully? What?!?! Obama doesn't have a leg to stand on. More Americans are out of work today then when he took office, his medical plan has been proven unsuccessful, we are in debt more today then ever in history, more people are collecting government assistance (food stamps, welfare etc.) than ever before, the country is in a deficit by the trillions etc. These are the FACTS. He has done nothing good for our country. Obama stood there like a deer in headlights, he couldn't figure out how to talk his way out of HIS mess. Honestly, I am not a fan of Romney, but let's be real, anyone is better then Obama. Mickey Mouse has a better shot running this country and improving the crisis that we are in and what Obama contributed to considerably and even made worse. Romney a bully? Get real!

I don't know who won, but the American people definitely lost. Our biggest deficit is not monetary but the impact we've had on the environment and climate and our inability to see things from that perspective. The irony is that future generations may be better off if we increase the national deficit by committing funds to environmental and climate remediation and to rebuilding our infrastructure so that the human species can survive the undesirable changes that we cannot prevent. It really won't make much difference whether there's no national deficit or a huge one when the wells run dry, our crops wither, and the world is in turmoil from mass migration and conflict resulting from climate change. We need to put down our swords, literal and verbal, and get about the business of figuring out how to re-imagine the American dream. We need to create jobs, even without growing the economy, which means everyone rethinking how many hours a week we work and what quality of life means.

Obama looked tired & bored and we already know Romney. This country is in big trouble and I do not want to give either of these guys my vote.

From opening statements to closing, the debate belonged to Mitt Romney. He was excellent and knew the material (economics, healthcare, taxes) better than the president. He said what had to be said about the $90 billion that found its way back to Super PACS supporting Obama.

If America selects Obama for president, they are settling for mediocre rather than great. Romney is ready for the job and won't whine about the mess he's been handed.

I liked that Romney promised everyone a phone, get everyone some phone up in here.

I haven't watched it yet. All the pundits seem to agree Romney won. I expect to see a much more energized Obama for the next two. I suspect last night's performance was a stategical move by the Dem's. If not, they must be hoping that alot of "Linda Bates" will be heading to the polls to drag Obama across the finish line.

Obama appeared unprepared... or worst yet, didn't know the material. If he doesn't get up to speed for the next debate, he's going to look just plain foolish. But, then the Dems have always seen something in him that I could never see.

I thought Jim Lehrer did a good job moderating fairly. He is left leaning, PBS is government owned and supported. However, Jim seemed to be having fun with Mitt. The only one not smiling in the room was Obama. The C-Span people who keep track of such things noted that Obama got two more minutes on the clock than Mitt. It wasn't noticeable and was probably the time filled in with 'ums' and 'ers'.

OMG this was embarrassing for Barry...Just shows how protected he has been by the MSM the past 5 + years. How about when Barry said "Jim can we move on to the next question". LOL and "first of all can I give a shout out to Michelle on our 20th anniversary". That was his most intelligent line all night. I would hope and expect Barry to do his homework for the next debate

I think Mitt Romney did a good job all the way around in handling last night's debate. I particularly enjoyed the part about the 10th Amendment, and how he neatly tucked that into the conversation. Bringing up Jobs was a top priority and he often referred to it, along with the economy. Trickle down government comments, also noted....and perhaps a belt-tightening of that government of ours, is most definitely in order. Efficient and well run government, I think we could all agree on. The Obama administration continues to appear weak on facts, poor on debate and no record to run on in this next upcoming election 2012. Four years in office for the Obama administration, and very little, if anything, to show for it....other than high debt $16+ trillion, and 23 million unemployed. Repeal and Replace of Obamacare/ObamaTax/PelosiTax should be a top priority should Mitt Romney win the presidential race, and with Massachusetts serving as a backdrop to healthcare, it is helpful to have Mitt Romney's opinion.

Everyone agrees this is a very important election. I have a question. Neither Romney or Obama related. There was a President who opened the doors for businesses to leave the US some time ago. I can't remember who it was but I do remember lots of talk about deregulating commerce abroad and allowing big name companies to headquarter outside the US ultimately taking jobs with them thus the influx of calls poorly disguised as customer service. I wish I could remember...but as luck would have it now we, the people, need to find a leader to get those jobs back. Help me figure this out....please. It's driving me crazy!
Oh BTW Round 1=Romney

I blame the mainstream media.

I don't have an opinion as to who won on the speaking points. I think it's always easier to state what's wrong and what others need to do, until you've truly got that responsibility on your shoulders.

The President looked tired, and sort of cautious. Looked like he was thinking more than speaking. I believe all a product of the weight and responsibility of the last 4 years. On the flip side, I think Romney looked polished and refined. Ready for presidency. I think he'll take it in November.

Everyone knows by now the Yankees won.

Just goes to show you how lost BHO is without his telepromter.
the dumbing down of America, he's @46% favoritability, while anyone with 3 brain cells and an open mind, his fav should be about 3%.

deb: the call to 'beat our swords into plowshares" in a human message and a spiritual one. It transcends the Jewish and Christian faith.

Right wing Christians are trying to control and dictate human behavior. That is not and has never been what I am about. I am simply, as any good religious/spiritual person does, using the language that has resonated in the West for 3000 years.

Please cease the fault-finding and answer the question or go on to complain at someone else. Cause I'm done with this exhange now.

Obama was prepared and focused. He unnfortunately has a record that can't be defended, it's horrible. And Mr. Obama has never had someone grill him on his actions. All his press conferences are attended by the cowardly media who are hand picked by the White House. It's just not fair to say the president was not prepared. It is fair to say that he was exposed for all to see. The policies don't work and he has no answers except I will work hard for every American. Well, I just presumed that he did that the past 4 years and his results speak for themselves.
The scary part is that if the American people reelect this guy after all that has been pointed out then this country is doomed by it's stupidity, greed and lack or morality.

Romney won this debate, and that’s not open for debate.

He did not stuttered, make excuses, or whine "It's hard work!" as “Dubya” did in 2004.

I had underestimated Romney -- he's a class act, and I believe that he will do more for this country than he did for Massachusetts.

No one thought it possible, but Romney did not back down from RomneyCare, but he took down ObamaCare carefully, pointing out how Obama's policies show no care for the real needs of the voters.

look at Obama's assessment yesterday (the day after). He wasn't prepared for a newly repaired and revised Romney. "I didn't recognize him" he says jokingly. Romney spoke repeatedly about "my state" after dismissing and disdaining Massachusetts elsewhere since he left. He regretted the innovative healthcare plan he signed onto to and bashed it at every turn. He almost lost the nomination because the Right wing extremists kept forcing him to disown the one good thing he ever did here!! He's kissed so many rings and a certain part of the Right's anatomy, it's a wonder he has any lips left.

Now we're supposed to think this is the "real Romney"??? No. There is no Real Romney, if there ever was. He sold out and was sold out long ago. Just like there is no Romney care. The phrase is absurd, another media creation to fool those just tuning in.
We will never get affordable, effectively managed healthcare in this nation if Romney gets in. Ted Kennedy fought his whole life for a national plan for healthcare for those who do without, whose teeth rot out of their heads, whose cancers go untreated, who have to choose between food and vital medication. Romney care??? Stuff and nonsense. Romney cares only about his ideology, power and control and pushing his rightwing agenda.

And if we vote for Romney/Scott Brown, we'll be up a creek. Only the democrats care about the 100%.

All the Obamabots out there have the adoring, mainstream media lapdogs to thank for Obama looking like an uninformed buffoon. They've never challenged him or asked him any questions. Now the spin is to call Romney a liar. Their getting hysterical. It'll be fun to watch.

Obama is a a colossal moron...Just lie after lie spewing from his mouth. Just take your beating like a man get ready for the next debate. Ted Kennedy was a skirt chasing booze bag! Obama is the biggest head case we have ever seen. Good grief

For those who wonder which Romney will show up for the next debate, rest assured that we who favor the Republicans wonder the same thing of Obama. If the same unprepared, listless Obama shows up for Debate 2, it will be just too easy.

How can everything be the Republicans fault when the President had the Democratic house and Democratic Senate for 2 years? All they did was spend, spend, spend and what good did that do? They elected Scott Brown to stop the madness and they still shoved Obamacare down everyones throat.

@deb... "I think Obama knew exactly what he was doing."

Both camps are entirely capable of subterfuge. I think Romney will be ready for whatever comes. 'Mittens' is not the wimp some people think. He will come out strong and so will Obama. The next debate is a town hall format, which means all subjects are on the table. I doubt that Mitt will allow the lies that are customary at Obama's rallys... at least he didn't allow them at the last debate. CNN's Candy Crowley is the moderator. Don't know if she can keep a lid on it.

me thinks the Republicans are talking to themselves.... have a nice weekend, y'all.

Bobby Valentine fired! Who saw that coming? Those big coorporations. We need to keep fighting them. Or something

For some reason we bave to fight banks and coorporations and I guess baseball, hockey, basketball, hollywierd beyonce etc. Isn't it so silly such a dbl standard

I don't ever recall such pervasive sadness and anger amongst right wing Republicans after the announcement of an unexpected drop in unemployment.

here's more on pro-choice clergy. This guy is a personal hero because he was able to listen to women and understand how horrible their lives could be without birth control and without choices.

A Truly Fearless Human Being: Rev. Howard Moody, 1921-2012
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/6458/

When Rev. Howard Moody began the Clergy Consultation Service in 1967, the group of 21 New York clergy who referred women for abortions when it was still illegal in every state, he arranged for the clergy involved to attend a demonstration that could teach them what an abortion procedure entailed and what a woman experiences in an abortion. The clergy met with a pathologist who explained the procedure using a life-size model of a woman. The doctor explained carefully when and what kind of pain the woman would feel. Again, this kind of experience drew the clergy into a far deeper understanding of the woman’s experience. Even the least empathetic among the clergy present had to imagine what it would be like to be blindfolded and helpless in the hands of strangers who might or might not know what they were doing. If a higher level of empathy is placing yourself in another person's shoes, that demonstration put the clergy in a woman's stirrups.

Here's a suggestion for @Gretchen and all her so-called clergy related fetus comments. Learn to prevent the pregnancy in the first place, old-fashioned method, no birth control or insurance required. It's called: Learn to Cross Your Legs. It prevents unwanted pregnancy, is free, and is easily taught to both sexes...males and females. No government interference required, just simple common sense. Or don't they teach that anymore, either.

Seems Avon has deleted his/her insensitive comment about priests and altar boys, so I've deleted my response to it which was equally insensitive.

@Avon... "...I don't delete any of my own comments..."

Whatever. Maybe your comment was deleted because it was off topic... as was mine. No harm done. Carry on.

Gretchen the fact that you can not see both sides of this issue proves that you are the one without compassion. The fetus never had any choices the woman does. She has a choice to not have sex, to use birth control, to put the baby up for adoption etc. I am merely pointing out that an abortion is likely less painful to the mother than the fetus.

the whole fetal pain is an unscientific boondoggle. Pain pathways develop late and anti-abortionists are making stuff up, like they always do. They said for years that having an abortion led to breast cancer. That was and is complete bunk and pseudoscience. You can't prove that the fetus feels pain the way an adult person feels pain. The "Silent Scream" is and was always bogus.

Women have an inalienable right to choose abortion. And no one else. It is legal and needs to remain so. We need to promote sex education, offer birth control, even to the unmarried.

ttgb: if you are male, you risk sounding controlling and arrogant on the issue.
You can 'contend' all you want but until you cite reliable statistics as to women's motivations for having an abortion, you are just blowing smoke. While you are at it cite some statistics on birth control failures. Even the pill isn't perfect.

I am a female and I get my facts the same place as you so perhaps you are the one blowing smoke. As you know this is a pro choice web site so I think you can trust thier stats.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Unintended-Pregnancy-US.html

@deb... "I can only surmise that you must get some sort of pleasure from doing so. Otherwise, why continue?"

And continue she does and will. A fixation. She loves the topics of abortion and religion... just can't stay away from them.

On another note, I am so excited to watch both the upcoming debates this week. Shoud be interesting!

ttgb. Good statistics we can agree on. Now we can begin.
Too bad our two presidential candidates can't begin with
valid statistics and go from there.

ah, when you can't win an argument, attack the writer of the posts.
This woman is never going to shut up.

Here are all Scott Brown's votes, the bad and the ugly, with only a few 'good' that he had to vote for in order to even begin to look like the 'bipartisan' that he ISN'T. http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/18919/#.UHHX2o7iOQI

thank you Gretchen. Talk is cheap. Votes are the real deal.
Deb of see-attleboro....what is your point? Career politicians don't need to answer to their constituents or they get a pass on fibbing about their vote record or both?
Not to point out the obvious, but no one new to office has a voting record, so how is that a negative thing?

thedailykos, a left wing hate site. Filled with warmth. In the past year year alone they have:
1) called for the assassination of their political opponents.
2) have called for the death a people who disagree with them.
also commented on the death a White House press secretary Tony Snow. Their remark "Good".
I think that says it all why our serial spammers are so filled with hate. Not fair and balanced. Just the facts ma'am.

Good article in the Sun Chronicle this morning on Scott Brown... "Tea party activists again backing Brown". Seekonk and Attleboro went for Scott Brown over Martha Coakley wholeheartedly in 2010 along with most of southeastern MA and middle MA. Now with the tea party activists working in the areas of Worcester and Springfield and other big cities behind him, he has a good chance. We need him even if he does vote with the Democrats a lot.

that's going to backfire on Brown. Voters have realized the Tea Party is only out to swing power to Romney and Ryan. Massachusetts voter are not going to put up with R+R and Brown will fall, too. Tea Party is done.

"tea part is done" huh? Yeah imagime people who are patriotic and love their country!! Let's have more OWS rallies - larceny - muders - public toilet in the streets. you decide Patriots or Indigents

are you saying that anyone who is not a Tea Party drudge is unpatriotic and doesn't love their country? so many errors in logic in your odious assertion

Ahh yes, the tea party... the group in which includes all old white people who collect government checks and get government funded healthcare...yeah they are the real patriots...do as I say, not as a I do. Seems to be a pretty solid label for "conservatives"

Yes Gretchen that is what I am saying!! And Trot "old people" worked thei whole lives which is more I can say about OWS indigents

Well I just find it funny that, the people who are in the Tea Party, which a majority of it consists of older white people...which get medicare and social security railing against government spending...while they are getting...government money. So you can't have it boths ways.

The tea party rallies never had those issues because only about 40 people showed up where thousands of people gathered in NYC, (which isnt very clean to begin with). I've seen three tea party "rallies" in person here in mass and NH...about 20-50 the most at all those events...

Trot whatever the amount of people, I'm not arguing that. Older white people had no choice but to pay into social security and meicade. the were told they were "entitled" to it. Like the Health Care Law that was shoved down our throats

What do you think black people would say if 98% of all of them voted for a white guy? That question alone tells you of race relations in America today. Isn't it a beautiful thing that among whites, they are willing to look past race and possibly vote for a black guy, but blacks, no way, they will only vote for the man - well 98% of them anyway......

No surprise Trot, if you think you don't see a lot of Tea Partiers out there.
That's because we're either at work, or in many cases at a second job, or trying to catch up on tasks, or spending time with the kids, or volunteering in our communities.
We just can't afford to, and see no logic in, spending 4 months illegally camped out, committing assaults, & trashing and soiling public property.

since this an AOL outlet I can see why the deletes are 95% towards the common sense side and 5% towards the moonbats.

DBC: say something intelligent, if you can....
you're like your namesake, who hijacks and runs with the money and thinks he's
a Robin Hood. LOL

Gretchen from your posts I think you are disappointed you are white...I see now how you warm up to Barry...So when Samuel Jackson says "I am voting Obama because he is black" - that is not racists?? You are a fraud

Gretch, I did not make my statement to the exclusion of others. However, if you take offense, and aspire to be like the OWS'ers as I noted, then knock yourself out.
If nothing else, you're a good lib with a response that says absolutely nothing, other than to put words in someone else's mouth.
Keep on posting though....this and others like "Gore won Florida by 5,000 votes" continue to keep us amused.

I am late to the abortion debate, but I did want to ask the question about what if we did say NO to abortions. No abortions for rape or incest victims, no abortions for risky pregnancy or risky behavior. You have to have the baby no matter what. So since I could only find the numbers from 2007-12, the US has about 1.2 million legal abortions each year. So now next year, since we have ban abortions, we get an additional 1.2 million babies born to people that quite possibly don't want them. They have two options, raise the little bundle of joy and try not to take it out on them each and every day for making life hard for the mom that did not want them, or put them up for adoption. Let's say that 50% or the moms follow the adoption route, that means 600,000 babies join the ranks of those to be adopted. Now, the fine folks in the US adopted an average of 51,000 kids each year from 2001 to 2011. So that leaves 550,000 kids in the dark, right off the bat. Let's say 80% of the moms see the bundle of joy and they just fall in love and will raise them in a happy home. The problem is all this is that we are releasing 20,000+ kids that did not grow up in a loving home at 17-18 to live in the street to hold their own. When and if they fail, they are more likely to turn to crime. Now go back to the 500,000 kid scenario. That's a lot of unloved kids set loose on the world, even if they do not turn out all "bad".
This has happened before, and not just in the US.

Last election we proved we were not racist. This election lets prove we are not retarded. Excuse me mentally challenged. Can America really take four more years of this kind of abuse? Globally we are a joke and WWIII is right around the corner if we don't smarten up and pay attention to what is going on in the middle east. Our economy has not improved no matter what the stats tell you. Fuel prices have gone unchecked. I am appalled that people can defend the record of a man who promised us such change and has delivered chaos. Students, how are those "affordable" student loans working for you now. Clean energy jobs? Where? and do they actually work? What are we still doing in Afghanistan? Does anyone really have a plan or is Jesse Ventura right and we are only there to steal there Lithium? We are on the cusp of the end of the United States as we know it and people are still defending the direction we are going. Wake Up!!!!!!!!

There you have it folks if you oppose Obama you are a racists...thanks Gretchen for enlightening us all. Or maybe some of have been paying attention and don't like the way the country is going.

I'm going to assume you thought Obama won the debate. You are truely blinded by your bias and really offer nothing to the discussion going on in this country. Nothing more than those on the far right which you rant on here about all the time.

That's not what I said and you know it.

"most" is not all....I call 'em as I see them

I don't like the way the country is going. Republicans have
obstructed and blocked any progress out of their
prime directive: Stop Obama at any cost.
Even if that cost is harm to the nation!!
We've seen that at several points, most recently
Republican gloom at a jobs report of 7.8%.
They'd claimed for years that Obama
couldn't get the unemployment rate down below 8%
and now they were proven wrong. Your side
started whining and claiming it was fixed.
Crybabies "all" of you.

@Gretchen - you need to read more under: Business & Industry Reports. Go to your local library if that helps you. With current unemployment rates for recent college graduates at 53%, they are unemployed and underemployed, and have had to move back in with their parents upon graduation.

Gretchen when did stop Obama at any cost begin? After he was elected by a sizeable margin? After a full Democratic house and Senate were elected? Ummm, ya! As soon as everyone was on to his far left socialist ideals and had Obamacare rammed down their throats. That's just for starters. Now, even Hillary is seeing the light and speaking out.

"Whites who boast about being proud are just boasting about having White privilege".
WOW ! this woman is coo coo cachew! Gretchen you are the one who brought race into the discussion.

To many deletes here, the moonbats come up with the racial hate speech and good ol AOL deletes the common sense remarks. Kind of like AOL, CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, MSNBC, CNN, KOS, Media Matters, Moveon.scum, ect ect.

what does that tell you?? that things like calling Elizabeth Warren "Lieawatha" as one letter writer did in the Sun Chronicle yesterday are beyond the pale. Either you are working/writing civilized discourse or your just low, mean-spirited, full of hate, and just venting your fear and despair here.

Mr. Ragman, would you please enlighten us on your phrase about "institutional racism" being "the best."

In the ongoing battle for whose comments are stupidest, how can I choose? This is very difficult.

and yet we keep coming back.... hoping to convert? inform others? vent? I suppose the motives are many and sometimes we don't know why we keep coming back....

Gretchen, I think we all keep coming back here because we like to exchange ideas even challenge each other. Sometimes it just feels good to state a point of view.
Hope you all have a nice evening.

thanks, Amy.
I hope we can learn to disagree without being disagreeable and without making
personal attacks. Myself included.