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Subscribe to RSSPolitico’s Thrush looks specifically at President Obama as it relates to the debates. The president has been working on blunting his barbs nearly as much as he’s been trying to sharpen his policy responses in closed-door sessions led by his senior campaign adviser David Axelrod, former White House communications director Anita Dunn and Democratic debate guru Ron Klain, according to Democrats close to the president. Obama is an experienced debater but an inconsistent performer who is years out of practice, capable of projecting a calm, commanding image — or appearing bored, testy or condescending enough to snark out the unforgettable ‘You’re likeable enough, Hillary’ crack four years ago.”
Setting expectations: Obama said yesterday in Las Vegas, per the Wall Street Journal: “Gov. Romney, he’s a good debater. I’m just OK.”
He added, “‘I know folks in the media are speculating already who’s going to have the best zingers … who’s going to put the most points on the board.’ ‘You are,’ the audience shouted. ‘I don’t know about that,’ Mr. Obama replied. ‘But what I’m most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country going and restore security for hardworking Americans,’ he said. ‘That’s what people are going to be listening for. That’s the debate that you deserve.’”
“The killing of an American serviceman in an exchange of fire with allied Afghan soldiers pushed U.S. military deaths in the war to 2,000, a cold reminder of the perils that remain after an 11-year conflict that now garners little public interest at home,” the AP writes, adding, “According to the Afghanistan index kept by Brookings, about 40 percent of the American deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices. The majority of those were after 2009, when President Barack Obama ordered a surge that sent in 33,000 additional troops to combat heightened Taliban activity.”
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Your campaign has the right idea Mr. President you do not need zingers, but don't take no guff either, be serious, and speak to the middle class, the swing states are all going your way because you got the right message not because you have good zingers. Republicans have been zinging you 24/7 for 3 years and 9 months, to no avail, it has not worked for them yet, because most of it has no basis in fact or truth, and because you have suffered that crap patiently and gracefully.
Well said, but you know they're going to blame tonight on the moderator.
... obama doesn't need zingers ... he has truth and integrity on his side .... Romney has handed the presidency to Obama on a silver platter .... too many gaffs and lies and flip flops ... omg, and i thought palin was the dumb-one ... she proved that theory wrong ... palin has more brains than mitt and ryan combined .... republicans are an embarrassment to the usa .... its a disgrace, they will be laughed off the stage at debate .... making the usa a laughing stock ... come on repubs, anyone would do better than these 2 clowns ...
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 ..
Mr. President the only time that Zingers are needed is when one has the late night munchies. A Zinger is a tastsy chocolate or Vanilla snack cake that goes well with milk. The President will never use Zingers as part of his responses in the debate. Now The GOP/RNC "Speculator and Chief" will not only "Spewing Zingers" during the debate. He will be eating a few Zingers while the President talks. Now the GOP/RNC "Romulian" does not believe in facts, policy, or rational thought. WOW! Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! The Party of NO has got to GO!!
Monsanto's number one lobbyist is Barack Obama. Bill Gates has controlling interest in both Monsanto, and MSNBC.
During Obama's term as president, people who had been working to label GMO (genetically modified =organism, GMF = genetically modified food) food and warn the public of its huge dangers were shocked to the core. They saw Obama had been pulling a bait and switch.
Obama filled key posts with Monsanto people, in federal agencies that wield tremendous force in food issues, the USDA and the FDA.
At the USDA, as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Roger Beachy, former director of the Monsanto Danforth Center.
As deputy commissioner of the FDA, the new food-safety-issues czar, the infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.
As commissioner of the USDA, Iowa governor, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack had set up a national group, the Governors' Biotechnology Partnership, and had been given a Governor of the Year Award by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include Monsanto.
As the new Agriculture Trade Representative, who would push GMOs for export, Islam Siddiqui, a former Monsanto lobbyist.
As the new counsel for the USDA, Ramona Romero, who had been corporate counsel for another biotech giant, DuPont.
As the new head of the USAID, Rajiv Shah, who had preciously worked in key positions for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major funder of GMO agriculture research.
We should also remember that Obama's secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, once worked for the Rose law firm. That firm was counsel to Monsanto.
Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the US Supreme Court. Kagan, as federal solicitor general, had previously argued for Monsanto in the Monsanto v. Geertson seed case before the Supreme Court.
Obama hadn't simply made honest mistakes. Obama hadn't just failed to exercise proper oversight in selecting appointees. He wasn't just experiencing a failure of short-term memory. He was staking out territory on behalf of Monsanto and other GMO corporate giants.
What's your point...? Can you summerize this into one short paragraph, cause it puts me to sleep.
Goodnight.