Wait a minute, DU!! I take back everything I said. President Obama has a BRILLIANT strategy...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

Poker: Don't let your opponent see your hand too early.

I think I'm changing my mind on this. I'm thinking the president is playing chess.

Now that I've thought about it more, I think the president is playing poker.

Maybe Obama is saving the fight for the LAST debate.

And I was discussing the strategy with another friend of mine.

Everyone was saying that Mitt Romney would win this first debate. Everyone basically lowered the bar for him.

I believe that Obama DELIBERATELY did poorly because he know that no matter what he did, he'd lose.

He will go back, take Robme's words and use them against him for the FINAL debate, which will be the economy again.

I think I see a strategy here. I'm trying to understand. I hope that the voters don't become demoralized. I'm guessing that this is what is going on.

---

What is Mitt Romney preparing for?

1. Bain
2. The 47%
3. Taxes

Why didn't Obama go after Mitt on these central issues?

Because Obama can STILL use them in commercials. And use Mitt's words from THIS debate against him in ads!!!

I think I got it!! Others are catching on.

You take away the arguments if you bring them up TONIGHT.

[Flatpicker]

1. I hope you are right

I want to believe it. I really do...

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. Silly

I know you're being sarcastic, but still silly. Silly if serious, silly if sarcastic.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

9. I hope I'm not being silly. I hope there's a strategy here. Obama lost the debate. There's no

question about that. He lost. Period.

But there's something else going on. Trust me.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. Moving from silly

to dumb.

Have fun.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. Don't call me dumb. Personal attacks make you look silly...and dumb! So stop it!

I know you're frustrated about tonight's event, but there's no need for rudeness.

[alcibiades_mystery]

23. You know what now?

That I'm frustrated? Lawd ha mercy, Stalwart's pulling some Frist-like operation.

By the way, I never called you dumb. I think your post above and argument is dumb, but I'm sure you're a fine and thoughtful fellow on other occasions.

ta-ta.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. I'm asking you nicely to stop this.

[alcibiades_mystery]

28. I'm not sure what you're asking me to stop...I'm nicely commenting on your argument

Your argument seems to be that there is some greater plan that explains what you see as a lost debate. I think that is a silly argument, and that when you restated it, it became a dumb argument. I never made any claim about you at all. In fact, the only one who made any personal comment at all was you, when you 'diagnosed" something like what you imagine (oh, I'm sorry, "know) is my frustration or something.

So, you can ask me to stop all you like, but I think I'm well within bounds to say that your argument here is dumb, however bright you might be on other occasions.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

30. Others here agree with me. Are they dumb, too? Welcome to IGNORE.

[alcibiades_mystery]

31. Go ahead, run to ignore

Your argument remains dumb.

Since I never said you were dumb, I'm not sure why I would comment on anyone else.

Like I said, ta ta.

[arikara]

22. I don't think he lost, he just didn't win.

It was a snore, in more ways than one... in fact the Mr snored right through it. The only vaguely interesting thing about it was that Romney looked a little crazed sometimes.

[begin_within]

3. The Democrats always play chess, while

the Republicans play war, to kill.

[BlueStreak]

15. I remember hearing the same kinds of things in 2008

when Obama was running against Hillary.

Don't bet against him based on what you saw tonight. He always has a bigger strategy in mind. And so far, he has won with it -- against Hillary, against McCain, and on many big issues against McConnell and Boehner.

[TroglodyteScholar]

4. Here's hoping you're right.

Obama was far from aggressive tonight, but I would not be surprised if there was a perfectly good reason for that.

[Sedona]

5. Chill

[Indpndnt]

14. Seriously.

[TXDemoGal]

18. +1,000

[Politicub]

21. +1!!!!

[russspeakeasy]

6. Here's the problem, you don't have to recover from a good start.

Mr. Obama did not get off to a good start.

[tallahasseedem]

7. I have been thinking this same thing...

as I have been running around like a madwoman cleaning my house to get out all of my frustrations. It seems calculated. I could be wrong, but I sure hope not!

[kestrel91316]

27. My theory - he was hanging back and really letting Rmoney do the

talking in order to HANG HIMSELF with juicy video lies. And he was studying him.

This was like a research project. Gathering data.

[Avalux]

8. I've been thinking the same thing.

The American public has a short attention span.

Also, post-debate, we will only see pictures (Romney looks crazed), and tiny snippet soundbytes. I just say one on my local news that looks good for Obama.

[BlueStreak]

19. And remember, this is being fought in about 3 states now, VA, NV, and

maybe IA, SC, or FL.

It doesn't matter what people in Texas thought of the debate. Obama got some new ammunition to help in those last several swing states he needs to lock down.

Now, if 5 days from now, Ohio and Wisconsin are back within the MOE, that could be a problem.

But if they aren't, then chill.

[sirbarksalot]

32. Yep, undecided voters- who are they really at this point?

Do we honestly believe that they are cautious, carefully informed citizens who have been studiously following all of the issues throughout the campaign? Are they relying on these debates to sort out those subtle differences between the candidates so that they can make up their minds? I doubt it. Many of them probably form a lot of their opinions on the basis of sound bites. There will be a lot of sound bites following the fact checking. Who will win that particular battle? I don't think it will be Romney. Only time will tell, but I think was a very strategically fought battle on the part of the president.

[Avalux]

33. They haven't been paying attention.

The election is won in the long term, not in a 90 minute bombardment. The next few days will be interesting....

Welcome to DU!

[flyguyjake]

10. I pray to God you're right

because I'm just flabbergasted!

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Bingo. n/t

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

16. Glad you don't think I'm silly or dumb...

[BumRushDaShow]

36. Of course not

He will gradually do a crescendo right through to the last debate, where he'll deliver his fanfare.

He's a better Harvard lawyer than Rmoney (and he taught Law).

I remember back in 2007/2008 when he was first running, where they said that in one of his classes, he liked to have 2 students take opposite sides of an issue, and then he would sit back and watch them debate in order to give him ideas to make a decision on a next course of action. So he knows the whys and wherefores of technical debating.

[BarackTheVote]

17. My thoughts exactly

He was collecting sound-bites as Romney put his foot in his mouth over and over and over again.

[Politicub]

20. I agree. Obama is the smartest man I know

I would never bet against our president.

[Quixote1818]

24. Agree and the final debate will be what leaves the biggest impression. nt

[rufus dog]

26. For the love of God! You THINK you are changing your mind on this!

How many times have we seen him do this.

With Hillary, during the HC debate, everyone goes batshit mother fucking crazy about what he should be doing, then he comes in at the end and makes the push. It is getting friggen boring to watch his strategy at this point.

Yo Obama, change up the playbook, I have seen this one before.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

29. Yep! It's a playbook that has worked before. Why would it be different now? Hillary is a much better

debater than Mitt Romney!!

[hexola]

34. 1. Avoid central "media" issues 2. Let Romney bully the debate.

These seem like planned strategy points...

Rope a Dope?

[jsmirman]

35. Yes, pass on free tv when you can hope someone will watch your commercial

[mary195149]

37. Throughout the whole debate,

I was watching Obama let Romney get away with his lies and not aggressively calling him on them. Of course, it seemed like Obama had bigger plans for Romney. Obama is just way too smart to let Romney get away with this. We would of all liked to see instant results, but we have to trust Obama, it's all in the timing.
Weeks before the debate, Romney kept warning the public that the debates would be challenging for him as he would be up against Obama who doesn't tell the truth.
I think Obama has enough info at this time. Let the ads begin!!
Starting out with Romney calling Obama a person who does not tell the truth and then going on to Romneys' Contradictions.
Romney vs Romney. Who is the real Romney??

[Care Acutely]

38. I agree. K & R.

[renate]

39. I like your idea, but why couldn't Obama have listened to Romney lie and then called him on it?

He'd have the sound bites and lies to be fact-checked and made into commercials, but he'd have shut those lies down before they sunk into the heads of anybody who's still undecided.

The lies may turn out to be Romney's undoing in the long term, but I really don't think this was a clever tactic on Obama's part. He doesn't respect Romney and took too much for granted about how easy he should have been to beat in the debate. Luckily, he won't make that mistake next time. He's a competitive guy and he will NOT let this happen again.

[ChazII]

40. Coast to Coasts' guests

are saying the same thing. That it is a strategy that Pres. Obama is using and they felt he was getting Romney to talk more than necessary. I know that Coast to Coast is usually for the weird and paranormal but tonight they did get political for what it is worth.

BTW - the three guests all agreed that Romney was on something.

[mary195149]

41. He looked extremely unstable.

I wouldn't feel safe with him in the White House.