The Battle in Boca!

If I had to make a prediction before things get going I would say I expect the best Obama can do is come to another draw, and not stop the current trajectory of this race. The worst he can do is implode over Benghazi and the lack of enhancing security after:

• Numerous prior attacks
• The UK pulling out due to the danger
• Ignoring many, many pleas for security from the murdered Ambassador
• Not paying attention to the threats in the daily briefings he was skipping out on

If Obama is to derail this fiasco, he has to keep the discussion on the post attack spin and not let the discussion go into the negligence of the pre-attack malaise. If Obama get’s rattled or disparate, this will be over quick. Romney simply needs to exceed expectations, which were set low by Team Obama.

Update 11:21 PM Eastern: Snap polls don’t show a big shift. CNN focus group had a lot of changed minds, but CNN would not tell us which way it went! Easy conclusion: not good for Obama.

Luntz focus group also looks to lean Romney. Obama did not deflect the trajectory of the race, and he looked the desperate challenger and not the President. CNN poll results show 60% thought Romney passd the C-in-C test.

Update 10:56 PM Eastern: CNN focus group already up and discussing horses and bayonets. Independent voters not impressed with that line.  Apparently loving teachers bothered one independent voter (not sure why).

Update 10:52 PM Eastern: Post Debate: Fox News just noted that Ronney’s facts check out – on government guarantees in the managed bankruptcy of Detroit AND even with bayonets – which the US Marines still use.

Guess Obama needs to learn how the military needs to work – backlash coming

Update 10:35 PM Eastern: Body language: the Obama’s looked deflated the Romney’s smiling and laughing…

Update 10:32 PM Eastern: Romney’s final statement more up beat and positive. I liked the statement about cutting food stamps not by cutting funds but through more jobs. That resonates.

Update 10:31 PM Eastern: Obama says the last for years have shown progress? And he goes back to that crappy class warfare. As someone noted, why does he need 4 mores years to keep his promises from the first 4? No sale. No change in dynamics. No serious damage on Romney. Platitudes and promises…..

Not again!

Update 10:29 PM Eastern: Yawn… Obama is still trying his failed talking points and out right misrepresentations. Interrupting, snarky and out of ideas. Romney nails Obama on the last 4 years and this president’s failures. Obama name calls, Romney proposes  new direction. Obama is getting anxious, and feels it slipping away.

Update 10:15 PM Eastern: Still no knock outs, no big discriminators. Can’t wait for this to be over…

Update 10:11 PM Eastern: No gap between Romney and Obama on Afghanistan. I felt Romney’s comment Pakistan is our next focus so that nuclear country does not fall apart. Obama wants vets building roads (not sure that is what most vets want to do), while Romney is noting we have some more work to do with our allies in Pakistan. Good answer.

Update 10:00 PM Eastern: Romney dodged a dumb question from Schafer by noting the President does not get calls as an attack is unfolding. That will give him some gravitas

Update 9:53 PM Eastern: So, do we want four more years of Obama’s snark to reasonable questions and counter points? That is the sum question of the debate. Can we take 4 more years of Sesame Strett explanations on what a submarine is….

Update 9:52 PM Eastern: Not sure there is any traction for either side here. Iran is tough, ME is tough, world is tough. Obama not making any major hits, thought I think the snark will get him big time. Lots of military families who vote out there….

Update 9:45 PM Eastern: Obama lost it with that bayonet and horse line, along with the condescending comment on submarines and aircraft carriers. That was un-presidential and insulting to voters. Yeah, it wins the snarky liberal vote, but he has that vote already. That will not poll well with the focus groups – guaranteed.

Update 9:40 PM Eastern: Schafer has lost control…. I may send folks to Hot Air for debate discussions.

Update 9:39 PM Eastern: If I make it to 10 PM Eastern I will  be surprised….

Update 9:37 PM Eastern: OK, Obama just laid an egg. If you want to know how to help small businesses you ask teachers? Teachers don’t run payrolls or  keep people employed. Romney missed it big time. ZZZZZZ…..

Update 9:36 PM Eastern: I may need to point everyone to Hot Air because this discussion is pretty boring, lots of name calling, and no big hitters. Seriously, I have some TV shows on the recorder that are more interesting than all this rehash….

Update 9:32 PM Eastern: Romney making good but obvious points. Not a single concept is in debate. While he nicked Obama here and there, but where’s the difference. Obama is putting way too much on the war on terror (when most people do not see us winning, just keeping ahead of the threat). We need a strong economy? Duh. That was the last debate. The “batttle” is a “snoozer”. If they were going to make a big point, why not in the first 30 minutes????

Update 9:28 PM Eastern: ZZZZZZ…. I think Obama claimed he wanted to force Egypt to recognize other religions, give women equal rights, to raise their families, then he tore into nation building? If we are shaping policy in Egypt isn’t that nation building? Boring debate…. Ready to flip channel

Update 9:22 PM Eastern: Romney answers well on Syria (no military intervention). That removes a lot of Obama’s ‘reckless’ claims. Romney goes back to the fact Syria has been a basket case for a year with nothing closer to closure.

Update 9:21 PM Eastern: Romney nails Obama for leading from behind (the UN and Russia). And Obama confirms it with a lame ‘Friends of Syria”. Who the hell is that? The Mullahs?

Update 9:19 PM Eastern: Romney bringing up the 30,000 dead in Syria really puts him to the center of Obama. Both agree we don’t want get tangled in the quagmire, but Romeny is on the right path and Obama does not have much distance from Romney.

Update 9:17 PM Eastern: Syria answer by Obama is OK, but all I hear is the ME is complicated and tough. Well, duh.

Update 9:15 PM Eastern: Obama is really warping Romeny’s views, which will be easy to fact chrvk. but I think Romney nailed the President by noting attacking Romney is not a foreign policy.

Update 9:10 PM Eastern: Obama loses some high ground by going after Romney, leaving Romney an easy opening. Romeny did not go after the President but instead agreed with him. Obama has to go hard, and Romney can stand back and be above the politics. The President is in a huge bind here as he has to shake the debate up, but also has to walk a controlled line.

Update 9:07 PM Eastern: Romney’s first answer is balanced and respectful. Good start. President’s first answer is balanced, but focused on Afghanistan initially.  Seems like a lot of punch pulling so far. Then he went through the talking points. So far, nothing new.

Update 9:05 PM Eastern: First observation, the President is looking at Governor Romney, much better than the first snoozer.

Tags: 2012 elections, Boca Raton, Live Blogging, Presidential Debate