thinks he will turn everything around on that first debate. They're going to be disappointed. Romney seems to have a short fuse and he will screw up.

figure skating competitions. I love them but I can't bear to watch. When those couples get ready to do one of their trible double up in the air whirlygigs, I have to cover my eyes. Feel the same way about these debates.

is all it will take, and it will happen for sure. He will lose his cool somehow.

i'm worried only in the sense that if the debates were somehow called off for some valid reason, rmoney wouldn't have that last chance for a game changer, and therefore would have very little hope left at all.

the debates now become nothing but an opportunity for obama to screw up and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. that is exactly what rmoney will be praying for.

obama's not remotely given to screwing up royally, so this is a decidedly unlikely event, all the more so because he'll be playing it safe. but it remains a small possibility.


otoh, if rmoney self-destructs (far more likely, as he *is* gaffe-prone and he'll be throwing hail marys) we could have a better shot at winning the house.

the next 2 years look rather different if we can actually capture both houses of congress (and, please, please, severely limit the filibuster).

I hope the president does well, and I really hope he can make Romney come unglued, to seal the deal.

Debates always carry an element of risk.

but the main thing I've been worried about since, 2003 when Johns Hopkins University first did their study on how easy it is to compromise them, continues to be the diebold machines. I have no idea why Democrats/public/ or even the current media that is at least 30% liberal as opposed to the 5% Dan Rather days when it was just him and Bill Maher, why this isn't getting the attention it deserves.

No papertrail.. they can have some excuse a few days before the election, flaunt the memo by fox news, and try to get the bought polls (Gallup, Rassmussen) close enough that a 2-3 percent change with the machines can change it.

I just find it soooo odd that so many swing states and blue states have Repub Governors. Penn? Repub Governor and adminsitration in charge of the votes. Wisconsin? Repub Governor who was the ONLY politician to EVER survive a recall election (NO RED FLAGS THERE??!!!). The ONLY one. Then you have Ohio, Repub Governor. How many deep Red states have Democratic Governors. South Carolina? hmmm Georgia? Mississippi? Nope, but we sure do have a Scott Brown in BLUEST of the Blue Massachussets. hmmmmm. This isn't an election year plan, this was initiated years in advance. The persons behind the machines get the people in under the radar while letting one or two races slip to give a false sense that this isn't going on. Anthony Wiener.... while investigating conflict of interest between AHC and Clarence Thomas, suddenly has a "picture" scandal, loses his seat, then a REPUBLICAN is elected in the middle of Brooklyn?! and nobody says.. hmmm what about those diebold machines or who the he11s counting the votes.. .THATS what I'm worried about.

Bush (W that is) managed to debate without too much embarrassment (though I remember him sounding weak to me) but the press was on his side. Romney doesn't have that benefit. And I think his temper is worse and he'll get snide or nasty at some point and it'll look horrible. One of Obama's great assets is how he always appears so kind and empathetic. There's start contrast between them on that point when they are nowhere near each other, and the contrast will be even greater when they're on the same stage answering the same questions.

who are determined to steal the election.

Not Biden's either. They both, POTUS and Veep are well-equipped for this. The worst they will do is a draw. Most probably, they will wipe the floor with Stench and Gilligan.

As Bill Maher said, the undecided are dumbfucks.

As the debates went on, though, especially with McCain, he got much better. I could tell that he wasn't a seasoned debator prior to that. But he got better later.

So, I don't agree with you. And even though Mittens got better towards the end, he is not particularly good on his feet. Obama is.

However, I am worried to the extent that the moderators and Corporate Media have raised the bar for Obama and lowered it for Romney. They still want a close race, and they always seem to raise the bar when it comes to anything Obama says or does, no matter what he says or does. If Romney doesn't commit a gaffe of any kind, he'll be declared the winner. Same will be true of Paul Ryan who the Corporate Media loves anyway.