Romney has a series of zingers that he has memorized and has been practicing since August

[TroyD]

Excerpt:

September 28, 2012

With more than 50 million people watching and the presidency at stake, the candidates will meet for their first debate on Wednesday at the University of Denver, and both are cramming like college students before an exam. But it is not enough to pore through the voluminous briefing books. Victory may come down to a single exchange, or a single impression, an answer that comes off as too edgy or, conversely, as too long-winded.

Mr. Obama’s team records his practices to sharpen his responses so that they connect on a more visceral level with the television audience. One of Mr. Romney’s aides calculated his words-per-minute rate in the primary campaign debates to break him of the habit of feeling that he needs to rattle off the most statistics.

Mr. Romney’s team has concluded that debates are about creating moments and has equipped him with a series of zingers that he has memorized and has been practicing on aides since August. His strategy includes luring the president into appearing smug or evasive about his responsibility for the economy.

Mr. Obama is not particularly fluid in sound bites, so his team is aiming for a workmanlike performance like his speech at the Democratic convention. He is looking to show that Mr. Romney would drive the country in an extreme ideological direction at odds with the interests of the middle class.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/us/politics/cramming-and-pruning-for-first-presidential-debate.html

[Happyhippychick]

1. Excuse me? The prez isnt "fluid in sound bites"?? Wtf nyt?

Did they miss the recent "channeling my opponent" and "Romneyhood" and the zillion others?

[ailsagirl]

10. The President doesn't have to 'memorize zingers'

They come naturally to him. Besides, 'zingers' have to be spontaneous to carry any clout.

AND zingers always should be used *sparingly.*

And something else: WHY the hell do some media persist in calling the President 'Mr. Obama?'
GRRRR

[MrSlayer]

44. On using "Mr. Obama".

The general rule is that you say President in the first mention and then Mister in subsequent mentions.

That's what happened in this article and there is nothing disrespectful about it.

[ailsagirl]

49. Thanks for clarifying

After I posted that, I wondered if that's what happened.

[MADem]

128. I agree with your explanation--that is what I was taught decades ago! nt

[bathroommonkey76]

138. The NYT does uses "Mr/Mrs" in most of their articles. nt

[Cosmocat]

19. He has a WONDERFUL

deprecating sense of humor.

He will be fine.

[bluemarkers]

68. the only "blunder"

I can think of is the "you didn't build this" - ... however the rethugs will remix any quote to fill their needs no matter how dishonest...

I'm looking forward to the President making mincemeat of the Bishop


(but oh, wouldn't I love a "there you go again" coming out of Obama's mouth when Romeny lies lol)

[mopinko]

79. we need a like button god damn it.

trickle down fairy dust.

[jonthebru]

90. "Don't boo, vote!"

[warrior1]

2. Zingers only work if they're true.

Romney has a bad habit of when he opens his mouth he can't help but lie. I predict an epic fail for money bags.

[demwing]

5. Unfortunately not true

truth only counts when it's reported.

how many outright lies have taken hold before they could be debunked? How many had media complicity?

[jonthebru]

91. Winston Churchill:

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

One of my favorites.

Our media is very poor at the moment, the conglomerates must be broken up

[monmouth]

3. Romney is a zinger on his own. That approach will not end well for him. He will look stupid..n/t

[SDjack]

20. Willard has two problems here. For a statement to be humorous, it must be

basically true. And to be effective, it must be applied with comedic timing. He would be better off to forget this 'gotcha" approach and focus on making clear honest statements about himself and his plan for us.

[GoCubsGo]

21. It also needs to be used appropriately.

One can spew all the "zingers" they'd like. But, if they have nothing to do with the subject at hand, they make the spewer look like an idiot, rather than a putz who can't do anything but spout shit he memorizes.

[central scrutinizer]

48. there is also the problem that his strategy has been telegraphed by the NYT

A zinger should show a quick wit and the ability to think on your feet. This is the opposite of that. Sounds like an epic fail.

[LiberalEsto]

120. It's "strategery"

That was a Dumbya "zinger", of sorts

[Freddie]

4. Romney sounds whiny and nasty when he tries "zingers"

Someone here mentioned Reagan's classic "there you go again": he sounded like a charming favorite uncle while delivering a zinger. Romney has no such charm.

[DirkGently]

63. Exactly. Smarter for Romney to try to humanize himself

Be interesting to see if he actually tries this "zingers" thing. Won't be pretty coming from Mr. "10,000 bet."

[anneboleyn]

100. Yes, Romney would likely sound petulant and/or smug. Not a smart strategy.

[coalition_unwilling]

108. Reagan DID NOT sound like a 'charming favorite uncle' while delivering a zinger. He sounded

like a condescending, patronizing (and simpering) Know Nothing, at least in my memory of watching the infamous 'There you go again' moment. Shame on America for electing that addled old fool. He proceeded to whip inflation . . . on the backs of the working class. (Adult unemployment reached 12% nationally in 1982.)

1980 was the first election I voted in, proudly casting my ballot for Jimmy Carter. Voted Dem ever since and never once looked back.

[ropi]

6. interesting..

They downloaded the Zinger protocol into Romneybot 2012. It should make for some interesting theatre. President Obama only has to change the direction to put Mittsteh on an infinite loop. I do hope his fake Mitt-Laugh is part of the zinger repertoire. It's so creepy.

[ayak9]

37. Bicentennial Man

Reminds me of Robin Williams as a household robot in the movie, Bicentennial Man. Especially the part where he tries telling jokes with no sense of appropriate timing or context.

YouTube -Behind the scenes

&feature=related

YouTube - whole movie

&feature=related

[TroyD]

7. This is the approach I thought the Romney campaign would try

Every debater hopes to have one of those moments where they say a devastating zinger that wins them the debate and gets replayed in the media and becomes popular culture.

Obama needs to be alert because Romney's strategists will have told him to insert these 'zingers' throughout the debate in the hope they will enter the public consciousness.



My favorite will always be Sen. Lloyd Bentsen's putdown of Dan Quayle:

[awoke_in_2003]

71. Quayle came off...

as a sniveling child.

[TahitiNut]

73. The whole key to Bentsen's retort ...

... was that Quayle had a long history of equating himself to JFK in his stump speeches. Debate preparation focuses on stump speeches and the habitual talking points of the opponent. Quayle couldn't be "retrained." Quayle clung to his talking points like Saran Wrap. Bentsen merely laid in waiting ... knowing his chance was coming. Quayle didn't disappoint. BLAM!

The key is avoiding the lines used in stump speeches and rallies. Obama MUST know that Romney's handlers are priming the MittWit with zingers to be used on specific Obama talking points. The chess master would, if at all possible, foresee the kind of zinger most predictable ... and turn the zinger into a trap with a carefully-constructed feint and retort. It'd be risky ... but have high rewards if done adroitly.

[livetohike]

8. Romney still has to remember when to say the zinger and not look like a complete idiot

He has no discernible sense of humor and seems awkward when he is off script. Get out the popcorn, this is going to be really funny, imo.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

115. "Get out the popcorn, this is going to be really funny, imo."

No kidding, Romney spent most of the primary standing back and watching the clowns he was up against turn on each other and then self destruct. After that, he took up with a bunch of FOX "News" fanatics so the "zingers" are going to come from the bubble making Romney seem even MORE out of touch.

These are the "geniuses" that claim the reason McCain lost is because he wasn't racist enough and denied Obama was a Muslim.

[livetohike]

126. I've been laughing all weekend.....Romney's "tough" debates against clowns in the GOP

during the primaries...

Romney has flip flopped so much on issues all year. This is going to be great.

[LiberalEsto]

121. Maybe they'll tape a buzzer to his butt

Zzzzap! Time for a zinger!

[fugop]

9. Obama just needs a well-timed anti-zinger

Last edited Mon Oct 1, 2012, 09:04 AM - Edit history (1)

He needs to let Romney get off a good one, smile and even chuckle, then hit him between the eyes with some kind of, "everybody loves a good zinger, and Gov. r has mastered a few. But being president is about serious ideas to help 100 percent of Americans. I've been focusing on that, not on my stand up act."

But, you know, something WAY better than that. But I hope the prez comes armed with a great anti-zinger!

[aquart]

31. Nuh uh. That was a perfect squelch.

Own it and be proud.

[XemaSab]

47. +brilliant

[leftynyc]

61. EXACTLY like that

Mitt has a very thin skin and this may be the kind of thing that makes him blow. That, I think, would be the most effective way for Pres Obama to nail the debates. Keep needling him and wait for the fireworks while appearing nothing but Presidential.

[Blue Belle]

80. Agreed.

The worst crime against a narcissist like Romney is to make him look like a fool - it's his Achilles heel. There are not enough of Luvy's looks of support in the world to calm him down. It will knock him off his game and make him look like an out of touch ass (the $10,000 bet springs to mind).

I've often wondered how the Romney campaign staff still remains employed, but now I kind of think they are in a thankless job (and probably not paid nearly enough). They are either too stupid to see the holes in their strategy, or they know their candidate can't pull this off and are trying to put the onus back on the candidate. I bet somewhere Steve Schmidt is slightly sympathetic to their plight.

[SemperEadem]

76. that's it right there!

[Blue Belle]

81. Well said.

[King_Klonopin]

114. Or, "This is no time to be glib, governor Romney"

Hidden meanings:

You're not to be taken seriously.
One-liners won't fix these problems; specific policies will.
Get back in your place, fool.
I AM the POTUS, and you are a failed governor.

[klook]

117. I like that

Show Rmoney for the phony he is.

[fugop]

119. And I hope he anti-zings Romney early!

If President Obama puts down that zinger strategy early on, it will make every attempted zinger afterward seem petty. And it will make Romney look like the empty suit that he is. I can't wait!

[LynneSin]

123. What he needs to do is call him out on it

like

"Are you actually going to talk policy or is this entire debate going to be a string of zingers you memorized. I think the people watching have the right to know"

You call him out early and ESPECIALLY when Mitt denies that he's doing zingers, that'll just make him look more stupid each time he falls back into using them.

[66 dmhlt]

125. Excellent Rejoinder!

[vduhr]

150. That is exactly the strategy I thought of too.

Let Romney go with one zinger, and respond (just as you have suggested, and in those exact words), then if Romney continues to use his rehearsed zingers, he will look like a childish fool. If Romney doesn't use his zingers, it will most certainly knock him off track and the rest of the debate will not go well for him, so he would lose either way.

[beac]

11. And I'm sure Mittens will deliver those zingers with the believable spontaneity

he is so well known for!

Great move leaking that they are "memorized", Rmoney campaign!

[TroyD]

17. 'Great move leaking that they are "memorized", Rmoney campaign!'

Good point. By revealing their strategy in advance, there's already a hashtag set up with lots of responses called '#RomneyZingers'.

Feel free to add your own:

[courseofhistory]

101. ROTFLMAO!

And I can see it now...he gets ahead of himself and confused and repeats the wrong zinger for the topic. Or before the debate gets totally under way in his intro, Romney peppers it with his zingers (of course making no sense since Obama hasn't said anything yet).

[Spitfire of ATJ]

116. "Great move leaking that they are "memorized", Rmoney campaign!"

I know:
[img]?w=584[/img]

[pacalo]

12. Obama could zing him back: "It took you two months of memorizing it, but that's a good one."

[magical thyme]

13. Heh! They're preparing him for the Obama of 4 years ago

as if he hasn't grown in 4 years as President.

But as I've written elsewhere, and confirmed in this article, Romney's had plenty of time to prepare. Whereas President Obama has been too busy presidentin' to have much time for practice.

I'd long since forgotten the churlish "you're likeable enough" comment from 4 years ago. I don't think there is any chance of that sort of moment again. That was a junior senator challenging the expected winner, not an incumbent with 4 years on the job.

Personally I think the biggest challenge that Romney presents is that he is so damn unlikeable, it will be hard to stand on a stage with him. I hope they're preparing Obama for Romney to play some ugly version of his "vulcan grip" invade your personal space and touch you game. Although Romney might have a hard time touching a, you know, person of color.

[GoCubsGo]

24. One would think they learned from that health care fiasco.

Remember when they invited him to meet with GOP congressional members? And, the GOPers were so confident that they'd nail "Mr. Teleprompter", that they saw to it that the event was carried on all networks for everyone to see. And, he walked into their house, and ate their lunch in front of the whole damn country. They obviously forgot that. And, they still believe their own pack of lies about the President being "lazy, stupid, in over his head", etc., so I'm expecting a repeat of that whole episode.

[arcane1]

33. Was that when he hit them with "that's how democracy works"?

That was, to me, the time when I was most pleased with Obama's performance as president

[nolabels]

62. LOL

Those clean the clock scenes, just pure comedy

[Bad Thoughts]

14. Hey, Mitt, It's a Boy Eat Dog World

Zingers only work if they put the opponent off balance, if they anger or shame her/him. Not only is Obama cool under pressure, he can laugh at a joke at his expense. R-Money can't do the same. He just looks bitter when he's the subject of humor.

[surrealAmerican]

28. Well said.

Zingers work best against people who are pompous and not spontaneous - in other words people like Mitt.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. This is risky for Mittens, extremely so.

Republicans are in love with the idea of debate 'zingers' because once they had a likeable candidate with a lifetime's practice performing in public, using prepared materials, 'ad libs' included. It was the sort of skill that made them feel part of the fun crowd for once.
The indications in the above text that Camp Mittens utterly misunderstands the ways and means of zingging your way to office are many. Also clear is the fact that they do not undertand the risks. Even for the skilled it is risky, because a failed zinger is a classic schmuck maker. It can define not just a debate, but a lifetime.

[beac]

29. Hilariously, some of his fans seem not to understand that

#MittZingers is a knock on him and are tweeting all KINDS of campaign-ending suggestions for "zingers":


Otis ?@OtisRedNeck
#MittZingers I will need a loan from Bain Capital just to clean up the mess Obungle has left our America in #CommieKenyan

Les Hughs ?@LesHughs
#MittZingers Obama's fake Selective Service (draft card) disqualifies him from serving in military. Commander in Chief?

Temecula Valley RE ?@TemeculaV
#MittZingers my party is not the party of the KKK



And then there's nitwit Conservapedia who doesn't seem to understand that hashtags should relate to the tweet and are just jumping on the bandwagon to promote their nonsense data:

Conservapedia ?@jay_pe
Obama gas prices billboard now live http://goo.gl/6y2gR #resist44 #war #tcot #MittZingers #Romney2012

[treestar]

39. They love Reagan so much they are always looking for a new one

But they cannot program the Mittbot to be one either.

[Bluenorthwest]

65. I loathed Reagan, but he knew how to do what Mitt can not in this situation...

It is as if we kept demanding that our candidates play sax on a talk show because that made a moment for Bill Clinton. They are going at it ass backwards.

[ailsagirl]

16. To really do it right...

Last edited Sat Sep 29, 2012, 03:36 PM - Edit history (1)

Nitt, with his 'pre-loaded zingers,' will need to have a drummer nearby so he can get a drum roll and a cymbal crash after each zinger is launched.

[lonestarnot]

18. Bwaaaaaaaa ha ha ha. Need to set that up in all drinking liberally gatherings on debate night.

[ailsagirl]

41. ...

Sounds good to me!

[lonestarnot]

67. I still have a free cab coupon left over from St. Pat's day.

[ailsagirl]

96. Very cool!

[maddiemom]

145. "Rim shot"

[mgcgulfcoast]

22. how obama can counter this.

at the beginning of the debate obama can say the voters want substance and a thoughtful discussion. everytime romney spouts a memorized one-liner obama can say, "there you go again with a memorized sound bite. do you have anything of substance to add?"

[Mr.Bill]

23. Zingers won't work.

I'll bet ya 10,000 bucks!

[whistler162]

143. Romney needs some....

Screaming Yellow Zonkers instead or at least some Ding-Dongs, okay he already has a bunch of those!

[DCBob]

25. A zinger delivered by the most boring man in the world..

might not sound like a zinger.

[LiberalEsto]

124. Mitt's zingers should be called zzzzingers

[CrispyQ]

26. Gee, what could go wrong with this plan?

His strategy includes luring the president into appearing smug or evasive about his responsibility for the economy.

[BootinUp]

27. This just reminded me of a hilarious scene from Bicentennial Man

with Robin Williams as the robot. If you haven't seen it, I think you will enjoy...

[surrealAmerican]

30. This is SO going to be the drinking game of choice ...

... for debate watchers: drain a glass for every zinger.

[aquart]

32. You're talking about alcohol poisoning here.

Make it a sip or you'll all be dead.

[surrealAmerican]

34. He can't have memorized that many.

[treestar]

35. Rmoney seems to be treating this like a game

He does not come off as treating America and its problems seriously.

[Corgigal]

36. What's next for Romney?

A laugh track? This is for President of the United States, not a cameo on Modern Family.

[begin_within]

38. You don't perform the duties of President of the United States by doing zingers...

...unless you're Ronald Reagan, that is.

[cash__whatiwant]

40. like Obama and his team don't know this and have their own... nt

[ailsagirl]

42. "His strategy includes luring the president into appearing...

smug or evasive about his responsibility for the economy."

Good luck, Mittens. You're pretty stupid if you think you can "lure" the President into anything. He's an extraordinarily formidible opponent and you're gonna get your zingers wupped.

[graywarrior]

43. Didn't George Costanza try something like that?

[Generic Brad]

53. The only time it worked was when he did everything "opposite"

"Opposite Romney" is the guy we would have to look out for. That version of Mitt would be likable, relaxed, and empathetic.

[graywarrior]

54. Hahahahahahahaha!

[Sunlei]

45. they have spent millions training Mitt to spew zingers?no wonder no past President will stand by him

http://www.pogo.com/pogo-online-games/lp-trivialpursuit-fs.jsp?sourceid=pursuit+trivial_Broad_GOO_C0045


Won't help Mitt vs the Obama who has been in real life training forever [link:|

[hrmjustin]

46. He is not good at thinking on his feet. n/t

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

50. Hey Robme, you asshole: Keep your fucking zingers! I'll take a DUzy!!!

[Turbineguy]

51. It's the smart play

any sentences longer than 5 words will only confuse his base.

[ThoughtCriminal]

52. Predicition: The first time he gets one in

He'll be so proud and smirky, he won't hear the next question.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

55. He will repeat his Repub primary zingers?

[NCLefty]

59. The thing I will not miss about him is that stupid laugh.

Also, that video shows him claiming he didn't get any help from his parents. HE BUILT IT ALL HISSELF. Except the stocks he inherited that he and Ann lived off of during college (oops).

Lying pol can't do anything but lie.

[gateley]

56. A noun, a verb, and 9/11. Top that, Romney.

[courseofhistory]

57. More of the same & Leaked Zingers!

Romney never has any details or cogent answers anyway so this is a way for him to continue making that obvious to everyone! Have at it, Mittens! You will confirm your lack of any good (or consistent) ideas for everyone to see!

Some of his zingers have been released!


Obama stole my bad, I mean good, no bad health care idea

Mr. Moderator, can I buy a vowel?

Whatever he just said, I said it first and I stand by that!

Ann is a stay at 5 homes mom

Obamacare. I built that!

Kenya believe my opponent ruined the economy?

I Was So Poor At College….I Had To Sell Some Of My Offshore Hedge Fund Certificates

*Waving hand wildly in the air* I know the answer to that even though my opponent doesn't. *smug look* The national debt! Oh, no wait, wait, that should be "WHAT IS the national debt? Maybe I should have chosen blind trusts for $500.

[classof56]

69. Good ones! And welcome to DU.

If you're not doing stand-up or comedy writing, you really oughta consider it!

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012

[shanen]

58. Sounds like a pretty good strategy, though I'm sure it's only partial

The other part of his strategy is obviously going to be memorized spiels that will consume as much time as possible and prevent Romney from making any fresh gaffes. Whether or not that works will depend on (1) Whether the moderator asks questions that are predictable or interesting, and (2) Whether or not the moderator lets Romney ignore the questions a la Sarah Palin.

As regards the notion of canned zingers, I think it has extremely high potential. They presumably would test them on various focus groups, and for training they would let Romney watch them being delivered by skilled comedians, and then practice using them on his own. I think they can even minimize the risk by testing Romney in various scenarios. If he can't make it work on a pretty consistent basis, then they just cut that zinger. Judging by the amount of time that they are putting into the debate prep, I suspect they are loading the RomneyBot with as many as ten of them.

[NCLefty]

60. In order to win, he has to present ideas that Americans are going to like more than Obamas.

And last time I checked, they don't have that. Tax cuts for the rich... unpopular, messing with Medicare... right, and what else... WHAT ELSE? Oh right, "freedom," which Mitt cites as his big idea in the 60 minutes interview. This is me moving my hand back and forth in the air *wakka*wakka*.

Mitt Romney can zing until the cows come home. The public has already decided that the taste of Mittens is roughly equal to eating ACTUAL mittens and they don't care for it one bit :p

[Historic NY]

64. "There you go again Mitt"....I'll match your zingers with some stingers.

[thc420]

66. How about...

...practicing what you would do for the country, some policies, some specifics. This is all they got..."zingers"...what a pathetic candidate.

[boobooday]

70. I always buy my Zingers

At the 7-11 bakery, like 47% of the people in this great country.

[KevTucky]

72. The Pres doesn't need to get down in the gutter.

He won't try to out zing him, he will stick to the facts. He will be fine.

[tanyev]

74. Canned Mitticisms.

[Botany]

75. Mitty Youngman

"So the campaign doctor said that my campaign needs some new life and I told
him I still love my wife but if it helps the campaign take my wife, please."


*********
Please
Mr. Obama is not particularly fluid in sound bites, so his team is aiming for a workmanlike performance like his speech at the Democratic convention.

[cr8tvlde]

127. Laser point timing, deadpan, set up, and then a chuckle, and then The Zinger.

[progressivebydesign]

77. it's all fucking smoke and mirrors with those people. They don't give a shit about Americans...

at all. It's not a best man speech at a wedding.

SO GLAD that the media is making it clear that Romney is basically doing theatrics, rather than talking about EXACTLy how he plans to help Americans.

[libodem]

78. Hope he comes off as the

Petulant crybaby name caller he is He obviously has no merit in the points he wants to make. He has no points to make. He is a Droid.

[Z_California]

82. "Zingers", like jokes, only work if...

...there is an element of truth to them. This is why Romney's "zingers" will come off as weak, rehearsed BS. The voting public is slowly becoming aware of the truth. I predict a moment in one of the debates where Romney is soundly boo'd for a lame attempt at a "zinger".

[courseofhistory]

83. More leaked debate zingers

Man, the Romney debate zingers are being leaked right an left. Mitt needs to put his finger in the dam...or would that be foot?

Obama stole my bad, I mean good, no bad health care idea

Mr. Moderator, can I buy a vowel?

Whatever he just said, I said it first and I stand by that!

Ann is a stay at 5 homes mom

Obamacare. I built that!

Kenya believe my opponent ruined the economy?

I Was So Poor At College….I Had To Sell Some Of My Offshore Hedge Fund Certificates

*Waving hand wildly in the air* I know the answer to that even though my opponent doesn't. *smug look* Blind trusts are a ruse..... oh, wait, wait it's The national debt stupid! Oh, no wait, wait, that should be "WHAT IS the national debt? Maybe I should have chosen blind trusts for 500?

That's my final answer and whatever it was, I stand by it!

Mr. Obama has too many details. It is very confusing. I stand by that, whatever it was!

Well, as I've said before, blind trusts are a ruse. That's why I have one!

53% of the American people are quite intelligent and I stand by that too!

I have no disorder *twitching and blinking*

Listen, I cover both sides of an issue, just in case. I think. I don't want to be specific because people won't vote for me then; my wife Ann says so!

Man, the Romney debate zingers are being leaked right an left. Mitt needs to put his finger in the dam

I will have my opponent know that I support our military. I'm an honorary state trooper! I can show you my uniform!

My plan for the Middle East is to......bomb, er ah, the bomb!

I will bet my opponent $10,000 that I have more money than he does! So obviously I'm better at math for the wealthy than he is!

I'm not concerned about poor people for they will be poor always! They have a safety net if you can visualize that big fishing net in the sky.

Listen, my whole family is patriotic. My sons, especially who didn't serve in the military but who are showing their patriotism by helping me get elected. As my wife says about other republicans criticizing me, "You get out there in the political trenches and see how hard it is! Or some such thing as that! Elegantly stated to boot!"

My first executive order on day one will be a mandate for roll-down windows on airplanes. Heck, what's more important? A pressurized cabin or being able to inhale that fresh low level oxygen at 30,000 ft? Sheesh!

I should tell my story. I'm also unemployed but I have that $350,000 that I make weekly to tide me over

[lexw]

84. It's not going to matter how Romney does as a whole during the debates....

...they have created these "zingers" for news sound bites. It could work, if the media falls for it, which they probably will.

[bucolic_frolic]

85. "President Obama, you're no Paul Ryan!"

"and Joe Biden is no Michelle Bachmann, either!"

[magic59]

86. Your no Jack Kennedy & A great sucking sound

Those one liners didn't help and nothing rummy says will help.

[McCamy Taylor]

87. Keep it up Romney aids!

Be sure to have him say "There you go again" with a nice, sincere smile. I'm sure it will boost his poll numbers when the press finally starts comparing him favorably to Ronald Reagan.

[Marthe48]

88. Hope he has different writers

n/t

[WallaceRitchie]

89. America needs a steady hand at the wheel

In times of uncertainty, America needs a steady hand at the wheel...

Not someone who changes position every hour...

Or whose own wife says she is concerned for his mental well-being.

-----

This subtly hits Romney on his French car accident, his flipflops, and Anndroid's recent comments.

[madrchsod]

92. no wonder his wife thinks he can`t handle the job...

[andym]

93. Where's the beef?

Probably top zinger ever. Delivered by Mondale to Hart in 1984.

Or possibly the "You're no Jack Kennedy" zinger by Bentsen to Quayle in 1988.

[JEB]

94. I'll hazard a guess...

I know you are but what am I. Fool me once....

[craigmatic]

95. Mittens is going to end up making an even bigger asshole of himself with "zingers".

[ailsagirl]

97. Oh, I hope SNL does a skit of the debates!!

Lots of fodder when one factors the "zing factor" in!!

Hell, there was a lot before, but this "zinger" thing gives it an extra cachet

Whole new comedy vistas are opening up!!

[jonthebru]

98. Corporations are people my friend worked pretty well...

So did "There are 47% of them who will vote for the President no matter what..." He had that one a little wrong, it will be more like 57% or so...

[underthematrix]

99. Oh please, please let it be true that

MITTNOCCHIO is going to address the President of the United States as "Mr. Obama" because we all know exactly WHAT HE MEANS AND WHAT HE WANTS TO CALL HIM BUT CAN'T SAY ON NATIONAL TV. There will so much fallout from this that MITTNOCCHIO cannot even imagine.

[Javaman]

102. Meh, mittens will tell them wrong then laugh inappropriately. nt

[zonkers]

103. Yeah. I got these zingers. That's the ticket. Zingers.

[Flatpicker]

104. I see

Load "WittyRepostes",8,1

[JohnnyRingo]

105. President Obama only needs one "sound bite".

After Romney babbles out a spiel of nonsense, look at him and say: "ROOF!...ROOF!".
Then laugh at him.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

106. Why would the Mittens campaign publicly announce that he's doing this? Idiotic!!!

[cr8tvlde]

107. President Obama has the timing of a comedian...time and time again...and he has

the special gift of being able to laugh at his own foibles. Mitt, OTOH, is the dorky guy that tries to tell a joke and can't pull it off. Same with "zingers" designed for the common folk. He's not comfortable in his skin unless the crowd can afford $50,000 for lunch.

[Cha]

112. mitt is a mean one, too.. can't take any

criticism.. even without criticism he can't wait to insult anyone who's handy..and that would be Pres Obama...

Perhaps mitt will be so focused on his "zingers" he'll start spouting zingers at inappropriate times and someone will have to reboot him?

[desertduck]

109. Zap with zingers??!???! That's it???!!? That's the plan to turn it all around?

[Blue Owl]

110. Ooh, how Palinesque -- it's bound to work

[MADem]

129. You betcha! Lipstick onna pitbull! Snick/wink! nt

[Mkap]

111. Obama doesn't have to zinger romney

Romney will zinger himself. How long before he starts telling us that airplanes should have windows that roll down or make a 10,000 dollar bet

[King_Klonopin]

113. You will know when Mitt has attempted a zinger

because it will be followed by his creepy, shit-eating grin and laugh. . . .
As if to say,"Look at me -- I'm so clever that I must laugh at my own jokes!"

I like the standard comeback of "How long have you been waiting to use
that one, Mitt?"

Mitty is not Witty. He is the RoboCandidate.

Obama is the charmer; much quicker on his feet.

[NatBurner]

118. oh yeah? well the jerk store called...

zingers mitt?

zingers?

what a complete and utter dork this man is

[LynneSin]

122. Ahhh - the Sarah Palin stragegy

When you know you don't know jack shit and ESPECIALLY when your opponent is a stronger person when it comes to debating - Zinger strategy.

Ever since Reagan said 'There you go again' and Lloyd Benson said 'I knew Jack Kennedy and you are no Jack Kennedy' we've seen this kind of tactic used by candidates who want to be politician but don't know anything about politics or how our government runs.

Ugh!

[Myrina]

130. "I know you are but what am I?" Mitt's going to sound even more like a condescending asshole ....

... than he normally does. A condescending asshole with no substance.

Go Mitt!

[Kteachums]

131. He is going to need more than zingers!

I majored in speech in college along with my elementary degree. I remember those classes. We listened to speaker after speaker from John Kennedy down to the man on the street. I fell in love with our President the first time I heard his voice over at my children's house. My daughter told me who he was. I was never political. After that it was non- stop. I followed him through the primary. I did house to house campaigning for him. I traveled with my daughter to hear him in person and here I am supporting him again for the re-run. I didn't loose track during healthcare, etc., stayed online in groups commenting and supporting.

Our President is the great communicator. He has personality and intelligence. I know we are to downplay this. I sure would hate to be Mitt Romney and have to face Obama. He knows he cannot take him down. All the zingers in the world could not take down the Nobel Prize winner. As for zingers, Obama can come out with ones of his own that would fly without having practiced like Romney Hood. It stuck! I can't wait to watch the great statesman of the era and I look forward to four more years of Presidential speeches and words that will echo to our next generation!

Just last week my young college daughter who made up her Independent mind announced to me that she has been convinced to go cast her vote for President Obama. This is something that is happening over and over. All I can say is "Way To Go" President Obama and those who have organized the young people! Good luck, love, support is behind you for the debates!

[maddiemom]

146. JFK, MLK...those were the days.

[gopiscrap]

147. Welcome to DU!!!!

[LiberalFighter]

132. Sheldon can zing better than Rmoney.

Will Rmoney say Zing right after his zinger?

[Waiting For Everyman]

133. By telling us he's practicing 'zingers', he is taking away any credit they would be.

Not that I believe he's capable of even delivering a practiced one without getting himself caught in it.

But the whole point of a comeback like that is to have it believed that it was thought of SPONTANEOUSLY out of one's own WIT. Memorizing corny comedy schtick is not the same thing. It's supposed to be a SECRET, for that reason. By letting this be known ahead of time he is ruining it in advance.

That's real dumb. So subtact 50 points for stupidity, right off the top. Most people with common sense will do just that.

Besides he needs to be demonstrating substance, not the same old Frat Boy image. This zinger meme tells me that he's heading for a big fat fail.

[nichomachus]

134. Fail. Fail. Fail.

First of all, using "zingers" is an art honed over a long time -- and not something that you learn in a few weeks. Stand-up comics spend days writing their material, practicing it, and then giving it a run in a comedy club. Sometimes, they bomb.

Mitt can't tell a joke -- even a self-deprecating joke. The "funny story" about the dog on the roof of the car has haunted him since he told it. The anecdote about tripping the daughter-in-law to win a race made him look bad.

Latest, his remark about airplane windows not opening was supposed to be a joke -- according the Mittpologists. First, I don't believe it, but more important, it wasn't funny (mostly because it wasn't apparent it was a joke) and it was terribly inappropriate in the middle of a story of his wife being terrified in the midst of a life-threatening situation.

Also, you have to know your audience and at the debate, at least half of the audience is going to be hostile. This is not the place to make a flippant remark -- or he risks being serially booed on national tv. And there's a very fine line between "zinging" someone and being nasty. Mitt doesn't know where that line is.

Comedians are funny sometimes because you expect them to be funny and, if you've paid to see them, you want them to be funny.

If Mitt tries any zinger crap, he's going to end up looking like more of an idiot than he is.

PS -- and a zinger has to be spontaneous and unexpected, like the Lloyd Bentsen/Dan Quayle one. The element of surprise is important. Now that the cat is out of the bag, people aren't going to really listen to what Mitt says. They're just going to be waiting for the "zinger."

[Bette Noir]

135. Zingers won't work. Mitt has no comedic timing.

Example: his comment about opening the windows on an airplane was a joke. Far from being funny, it caused three days of comment on whether he was stupid or insane. He was so unfunny that no one even considered that he was joking. Any zingers he might try to deliver will come off as either idiotic or cruel.

[janx]

136. Last paragraph:

“The governor’s done a great job of convincing people that the economy’s bad,” said Brett O’Donnell, a Republican debate coach who worked briefly for Mr. Romney. “He’s got to do a better job of making the case that President Obama’s directly responsible for that. That’s got to be his focus. If it becomes about anything else, then I think the governor’s at a disadvantage.”


Good luck, Mr. Romney!

[azurnoir]

137. well ya 'cause we all know that when Obama took there was a surplus in the government

gas was around $1.50 a gallon and unemployment was way lower, oh wait that was the other guy the one before Obama, never mind.......

[speedoo]

139. It's about "creating moments"......

when you've got nothing else.

Yet another sign of desperation.

[polichick]

140. Simple Obama response: "A President has to do better than zingers, Mitt."

Edit: typo

[robertpaulsen]

141. "He has many spontaneous moments...and they are all scheduled weeks in advance."

What was once satire is now reality. And that may be the only thing interesting about this man.

Can't wait til Wednesday!

[Not Sure]

142. Mittens on the economy: "Let them eat..."

[madmax]

144. It's suppose to be a debate, not 'Comedy Central'

Look out Colbert and Stewart, when he loses he'll be looking for your jobs. Not to worry, he's not funny except when he's trying to sound like a Presidential candidate. Then he's downright hysterical.

[Iggy]

148. "Stupidity is the Disease of America"

Norman Mailer.

Grandpa Reagan used zingers in his "debate" with President Carter, so why wouldn't dumb-as-a-fence-post
Rmoney do the same?

if Rmoney is as dumb as he appears to be, and tries this in the debates, Obama will crush him. all O has to do
is glance at him.. "that's all you got, Governor.. really? I thought we were having a serious discussion here
in front of the American people?"

[Thor_MN]

149. Sheldon Cooper without the intelligence...

[Ian David]

151. Bazinga! n/t

[NMlib]

152. Pres O left me speechless

When they interviewed him at halftime at an olympic baslketball playoff game. Just talking about girls in sports. His intelligence and warmth and savvy ....Mitt doesn't stand a chance.