Random thoughts on the first 2012 Presidential Debate:

• As someone said, President Obama brought a knife to a gun fight.
• President Obama to the moderator: “You might want to move on to another question [because I’m getting my clock cleaned on this one!].”
• The moderator tried to help Obama by suggesting the best answers that he should have been giving. “Mr. President, you say …”
• Romney’s business experience showed through clearly. He knew exactly what he was talking about, and it was obvious that it wasn’t just debate prep. For instance, when the President talked about a tax break for moving business overseas, Romney said, “ I’ve been in business for 25 years and I don’t know what tax break you’re talking about.”
• Romney talked directly to Obama; Obama talked about Romney to the moderator. Big difference.
• Obama’s talking points sound good when he’s using them in a speech and there’s no one giving rebuttal. Romney killed it whenever he called Obama out on his playing loose with facts. I thought it was very effective whenever the President Obama would try to put words into Romney’s mouth and he’d say, “I’m telling you right now – that’s NOT what I want.”
• CNN pointed out that no one’s stood up to the President in four years, and it was obvious he didn’t like Romney talking to him like that.
• Romney’s grasp of facts was very impressive – like when he so quickly answered the charge of tax breaks to oil companies (they’ve been in place for 100 years, it was such-and-such an amount, and that Obama’s gift to green energy companies – many of which were Obama campaign donors – was equal to 50 years of oil company credits! Oh, and 50% of the green energy companies went bankrupt.)
• The $90 billion given to green energy could have hired 2 million teachers!
• Red tie/blue tie. Is that a thing?
• Romney hit on almost everything he should have. Bottom line – Romney blew this out of the water.