People want a show.

Help people really remember the disaster of four years ago - four wars and hemorrhaging jobs. If you really like that panic better, vote Romney, for more of that and very possibly worse. Because his policies, when you can find them, are just like those of George W. Bush, only more extreme. If you think progress is too slow, vote for a Democratic Congress, so that my programs and policies that support the middle class, like approving the continuation of middle class tax cuts and the Jobs bill can finally pass without obstruction.

Does the "debate team" record the practice sessions to look for things like that, to point that out to the president?

I know substance SHOULD trump style. But too many -- especially your low-info undecided voters -- get fooled by the performance and fail to pay attention to FACTS.

Romney was "crisp" in his answers. Crisp may make him "look" presidential. What he actually said was bullsh*t. But unfortunately those watching are easily swayed by style.

(I remember as I watched the debate, the long pauses with "uh" were worrying me. And I feared that the president's thoughtful responses were being diminished by his halting delivery.)

The idea is to sell the product to the public so every little distraction counts. Nixon's 5 O'clock shadow. Reagan's meaningless "There you go again." These are the things that most people take from the "debates".

The added pressure is probably a good thing. With early voting already happening, this is Obama's best chance to change perception. He was also behind Hillary and came back great; I expect the same here.

He is too familiar with the teleprompter and notes - think high school debate class!

Obama has developed a tic where he says "y-know" far too frequently. I hope Michelle has tried to get him to notice it.

"Let me just say that..." and I believe those extra few seconds enabled him to formulate a better answer.

2. Toot your own horn.

3. Don't let Mitt get away with a single lie.

4. Remind voters, as Biden did, that the party who created a social safety net, is the best one to protect it.

5. Mention that Bain was a pioneer in outsourcing under Rmoney. Say things like "Governor Romney wrote the 'book' on outsourcing."

6. Throw out some one liners .. America eats em' up.

7. Most importantly, be authentic and remember the values that have guided you in life.

May come up. We are committed to a 2014 withdrawal date. What should Obama say if Romney Says we should get out tomorrow? He has said this a few times on the trail. Majority want us out. So, what should Obama say?

Remember JMMW

Jobs

Medicare

Middle Class

Women



What The President Has To Hit Home Again and Again And Again ... THESE KEY POINTS!

1. We were losing 850,000 jobs a month when I took office. We have now had 31 straight months of private-sector job growth.

2. Medicare will be voucherized (under Romney/Ryan).

3. The Middle Class will be hit with a $2000 tax increase (under Romney/Ryan).

4. Women will lose the right to make their own healthcare decisions (under Romney/Ryan).


Those are the BIGGIES! Hammer them home! Again and again and again.

He should also borrow from the Vice President and with each issue, turn to the audience member who raised the issue, and then turn to the CAMERA and speak directly to the viewers and ask:

WHO DO YOU TRUST ON _____?

(I love the way Joe did it, "Folks, who do you trust on this?&quot

"My fellow Americans ... who do you trust on Medicare?"

"My fellow Americans ... who do you trust to look out for the Middle Class?"

and so on

Massachusetts, as well.

People see Romney as a businessman who will make smart decisions. They have to understand how he failed his state as Governor.

He needs to add to what Biden said

ENERGY - Confidence, seriousness, fire.

EXCELLENCE - Fact-checking, peripherally calling into the light Mitt's character (or lack thereof), and looking toward the future

The President need to courteously point out that many everyday americans help friends, neighbors and people that they don't know every day, that those people don't apply their generosity to members of their faith, in fact most don't care about the faith of those getting aid. POliticians can polish it up, but the President need to make it very clear that Romney's so called generosity has been largely directed toward members of his faith, friends and business associates.

Romney loves to talk about the girl that he went to NYC to look for, yes he did that, but the girl was the runaway daughter of a close Bain associate. If that girl had been the daughter of a cleaning person at Bain, it is doubtful that Romney would have did anything other than offer fake assurances.

The President need to consistently tie Romney to the hurtful policies that Romney/Ryan want to impose on americans and make it clear that outside a select few people that have something in common with Romney or Ryan, Romney/Ryan don't give a shit about the rest of us.

Tie Romney to Bush, whose foreign and domestic policies he wants to continue.

Talk about what you have accomplished and will continue to accomplish.

Last edited Sun Oct 14, 2012, 05:20 PM - Edit history (1)

suffering, tie that suffering to Rmoney's values.

For example, when Romney says things like, "... I spoke to John Hansen in Ohio, who lost his job and his home ... " Obama should come back with mention of Romney's poor record on job creation in Mass. and his 'outsourcing' corporations are people my friend, mentality. Then, tie that into how it harms Americans like "Mr. Hansen" etc. And, ... mention that Mr. Hansen is among the 47% Romney insulted, of late. Every time Romney shares a story about an American who needs help, tie that into the 47% comment. Mention that Romney chose a VP who honored Ayn Rand, and share a bit about her 'values'.

Make Romney unacceptable, not only as a ruthless businessman, but as a bad governor. Mention Romney's poor record on jobs, the debt etc. ... every chance you can, Mr. President. Move away from Bain a bit, and toward his record in Massachusetts.

I agree, Obama will not be reading here, but hopefully someone from the camp will humor us a bit.

As you said, the president has to discuss how Romney/Ryan policies WILL hurt the people whose stories Romney raises when he puts on his "I care about people" act.

3. Do not give Romney a pass on any lies he tells.

Address each answer to the questioner who asked the question, then segue into addressing the camera to connect with viewers at home, then finish by going back to the questioner. He needs to demonstrate that he is in touch with, and responsive to, the concerns of everyday Americans. Biden did this well by addressing seniors directly. Attacking Romney should only be a secondary consideration if there is time. Romney should be like an annoying fly that won't leave the room.

Let the audience know that everyone who has internet access can to go a site that will factcheck every assertion each candidate makes and what their initial position on an issue is or was.

It seems like a no-brainer, but sometimes people need the obvious pointed out. Romney does not have the truth on his side.

and don't say anything you believe in is similar to Rmoney's current or past positions.

You are no Mitt Romney!

It needs to be something that gives everyone hope, not something that makes some wonder if they are going to be detrimentally affected.

12. Brazile gives advice to Democrats

BRAZILE: I think the Democrats have got to just stop trying to fact-check the Republicans every time they open their mouths and get back to talking to the American people…

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/sunday-sound-heard-on-this-week-20/

Accept the fact that not everyone has to like you, as the other side never will anyway.

But don't let Mitt get away with lies about taxcuts, Libya, jobs, the state of the economy, etc.

and just yell "YOU LIE" after Mitt speaks. Okay, that's probably not the best advice, but it would be unexpected.

overseas, ruining the lives of other Americans for your own profit...how does this qualify you to create jobs as president?

It's a simple question. How will he create jobs? Just outsource the states with the highest unemployment?



Also, As Biden stated and needs to be repeated as often as they repeat their lies....Stop acting like the Debt fell out of the sky.

The debt was created by Republicans putting two wars on the credit card, two BIG GOVERNMENT programs were started under Bush, Homeland Security and the TSA which were also put on the credit card meanwhile giving themselves tax cuts.

Who exactly was supposed to pay for all the crap they wanted?

They were so scared, they had to bomb everyone that might 'get us' cause Bush scared them.

They had to implement Big Brother and spy and control other Americans because they were so scared of the homegrown boogie man.

They were so scared, a bunch of freaking cowards, so screw the Constitution, screw our Children's future, screw all logic and common sense....stick it on the credit card.

They apparently weren't scared of putting it all off on their kids to pay for, or being held accountable for their actions.



What a bunch of selfish lying assholes, I am sick of these hypocritical idiots pointing the finger at us for all the bullshit they pulled.

Obama needs to bring up--not only was he horrible, he checked out...from the NY Times:


"During Mr. Romney’s four-year term as governor of Massachusetts, he cumulatively spent more than a year — part or all of 417 days — out of the state, according to a review of his schedule and other records. More than 70 percent of that time was spent on personal or political trips unrelated to his job, a New York Times analysis found."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/us/politics/mitt-romney-often-away-when-he-was-governor.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

As POTUS, Romney will spend lots of time out of the USA...visiting his money.

Come to think of it, that'd be good advice for me, too.

Hit him with a, "spear," and take him down to the mat then put him in a figure-4 leglock until he taps out.

TlalocW

WAKE UP!


some of our lives are depending on you. good luck!

And a little laughing at the really ridiculous ones wouldn't hurt either.

Speak faster and more forcefully. Don't say "uh" all the time; it takes up time and sounds uncertain. Romney showed us in the first debate that what you say doesn't matter as much as how you say it.

Don't rely on fact-checkers to set things straight later on. Only about 10% of the people watching the debate will ever read the truth. Call a lie a lie right away.

I think the President has already heard these two pieces of advice. The second debate will be better by a factor of ten than the first one.

Also Obama seems to be very effective when he holds a pen in his hand.

Debunk, speak to present efforts, then speak to future. Rinse & repeat one gazillion times.

Oh garcon, garcon! More wine, please.

Hands down.

He will take care of defeating himself if he talks

And relax because this time we have your back so you can keep your head up and be proud of what you have done for this country.

exude energy and optimism.

Obviously Bush gets the blame, but tie Romney's policies to Bush's.
The vision thing is very important. Ezra Klein just published an opinion piece on this!

and hit the main points....47%, Rmoney's tax returns, improving economy, etc.
Look at the camera and the moderator (and Rmoney).
Call out the lies as they come.
Lastly, explain your plan for the next four years.
Expect more flip-flopping. I think Obama was thrown off by the total reversal of policy Rmoney threw out.

Regular folks want answers they can relate to...and articulate to others.

-Push back against the lies; don't let a single lie go unchallenged
-Paint the narrative that Romney is a flip-flopper with no core
-Bring up the 47%, tax returns, etc.
-Be vintage Obama: passionate, humorous and inspiring
-Highlight your accomplishments (unemployment is at its lowest level in 4 years, the economy is improving, his policies have lifted us from a recession created by Republican policies, people's 401ks are much better off now than 4 years ago, Obamacare has already positively effected millions, Bin Laden is dead, al-Qaeda is weakened, the Iraq War is over, the Afghan War will soon be over, the American auto industry has come roaring back, etc.)

I think one of the problems with the last debate was that Obama was prepared for Mitt's stance, but Mitt changed his stance. Of course, then he changed it back for the Campaign. When Mittens says something different than what he's been saying, call him on it.

Don't go "full Biden" on him - some people think Biden was too aggressive. Aim for somewhere that is about 75% Biden and 25% you in the first debate. Don't go overboard, but when in doubt be aggressive.

I expect perceptions to be better for this debate. In the first, expectations were that you (Obama) were going to "clean his clock" and so even though you won on the issues, perceptions were that Rmoney performed better. I haven't seen any polls on expectations for this debate, but I imagine in the eyes of the low information voter they have higher expectations for Rmoney which gives you an advantage.

Some points to hammer him on;

1. his tax plan and how it isn't a plan and doesn't add up. I'm sure he is in part counting on increased revenue from an improved economy, but tax cuts have been proven to be ineffective since they were already lowered.
2. His economic plan is a repeat of the policies that got us in this mess in the first place - tax cuts and deregulation. Also, the upper class are NOT the job creators, the middle and lower classes are. DEMAND creates more jobs. If you just increase funds for the upper classes, they keep it as several graphs showing the wealth disparity prove. Put more money in the hands of the lower and middle classes, and they spend it, which drives up DEMAND.
3. YOUR record - unemployment is going down despite Republican efforts to block your effectiveness. The deficit is going down. Wall St. is recording record profits. But we can do better.

Carry yourself with command. Be relaxed but energetic, confident, engaged. Don't hide in your notes, or scowl, or otherwise validate your opponent when he is attacking you.
Always give short, simple answers which relentlessly pound home a chosen theme.
Defend yourself forcefully from dishonest attacks.
Point out when your opponent is lying or etch-a-sketching. When he denies it, point out that he is now lying about lying, and have a couple of good examples ready for further illustration.

nt

"This is a man who says he doesn't represent 47% of the country. It's obvious that he does not have any respect for half of America. Therefore he has no idea what being president means."

... don't look down.

3) Take a second to formulate an answer in your mind without saying "um" or "uh" so much.

4) Act awake! You looked like you were about to fall asleep in the last debate.

5) Don't let Crowley get away with rephrasing the questions.

This format is one that he has done well in. I suspect that the inclusion of people is one where he is naturally more engaged.

I also think it is one where Romney can not successfully use the style he did last time. His goal will be to fake being likable. The worst outcome focus would be where he succeeds and the genuinely naturally likable guy is trying to show that he can attack.