The Fix blogger Chris Cillizza summarized Wednesday’s presidential debate by declaring the winners to be Mitt Romney, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, the split screen and studies (“The first 45 minutes of the debate felt like a conversation between the heads of two opposing think tanks,” Cillizza wrote). And the losers? President Obama, the format, zingers and Big Bird (“Romney may love the big yellow bird, but he told America he would get rid of funding for PBS if he was president. Whither Elmo?”).
The fact-checkers were busy after Wednesday’s presidential debate. Among the conclusions by the Washington Post: Mitt Romney’s math is wrong on his tax-cut plan (eliminating tax loopholes and deductions would not cover its cost); President Obama exaggerated his spending cuts; businesses can get a tax break for shipping jobs overseas (though the break is relatively small); the estimated $712 billion reduction in the growth of Medicare spending over 10 years doesn’t reduce benefits (and was included in the GOP budget plan approved by the House); the 50-year decline in health care costs cited by Obama is likely due to the bad economy rather than to his health care plan.
Another hurdle for Mitt Romney this election is the public’s unfavorable view of the Republican Party. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, 53 percent of voters view the GOP unfavorably, which is even worse than four years ago. However, the Democratic Party isn’t that well-liked either, with 46 percent of voters having an unfavorable view. And Republicans had great success in the 2010 election despite their party label.
The Fix blogger Chris Cillizza summarized Wednesday’s presidential debate by declaring the winners to be Mitt Romney, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, the split screen and studies (“The first 45 minutes of the debate felt like a conversation between the heads of two opposing think tanks,” Cillizza wrote). And the losers? President Obama, the format, zingers and Big Bird (“Romney may love the big yellow bird, but he told America he would get rid of funding for PBS if he was president. Whither Elmo?”).
