Editorial: Romney wins on style, Obama on facts

[cal04]

http://www.suntimes.com/opinions/15535810-474/editorial-romney-wins-on-style-obama-on-facts.html

If you score Wednesday’s debate largely on the basis of which candidate for president exuded a rambunctious energy, it was Gov. Romney all the way.

(snip)
If, however, you score Wednesday’s debate on substance — accurate facts and honest arithmetic — Obama more than held his own. He drove home the false promises and dangerous ramifications of Romney’s proposed tax cuts, which would surely raise taxes for the middle class by eliminating breaks, such as the home mortgage deduction, and require the elimination of essential programs, such as student loan subsidies.

“I believe Gov. Romney genuinely cares about education,” Obama said. “But when he says [students] should borrow from their parents to go, many . . . just don’t have that option.”

The president was especially strong in picking apart Romney’s ill-conceived plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program, which independent analysts say would leave elderly Americans down the road at the mercy of private insurance companies. Maybe those vouchers would cover the bill, but quite likely they would not over time, even as traditional fee-for-service Medicare would wither away.

[hopeisaplace]

1. exactly right

this is precisely the impression I was left with (and, the whole Big Bird getting fired thing on Twitter is too much fun - I should go to bed, but I'm busy reading the hilarious tweets)

[iemitsu]

2. "romney is a honey badger obama has integrity".

ought to be the headline.

[ProSense]

3. "rambunctious energy"

Unhinged liar.

That's the point: pyrrhic victory.

[pacalo]

4. He was no better than a fast talking used-car salesman.

[FrenchieCat]

5. Well yes....when it comes to my livelyhood and my future, I'd rather have facts than style......

although Btw, I was not "impressed" with Romney's "Style" at all!

[rizlaplus]

6. He's got style, he's got class he tells lies out of his ass!

[RBInMaine]

7. Spot on. Also too, Obama was letting Mitt hang himself with LIES he can now attack. Also, he to

feel Mitt out.

[Maineman]

8. Wins on style? I don't think so. Romney showed himself to be the

same discourteous, inconsiderate, bully he must have been in junior high when he and his friends attacked a fellow student for having longer hair. Romney was extremely discourteous to both Obama and Lehrer.