Obama vs Romney Debate Winner: Obama Lacks Passion, Romney Leads 1 to 0

Impact

After watching the RNC and DNC conventions, many are eager to step away from the glitz and glamour of speakers, flashy outfits, and empty chairs, and into real conversations. The presidential debates are finally here and the nation may finally tune in to watch as Romney and Obama go head to head.

The first debate is set for October 3rd, from 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. It will be at the University of Denver, in Denver, Colorado, and the moderator will be Jim Lehrer, the Executive Editor of the PBS NewsHour.  

The focus of this first debate will be domestic policy, and will have six 15 minute segments. The first three segments will be about the economy, and the final three will cover healthcare, the role of government, and governing.

The debates will be welcomed after a season of misconstrued words, gaffes, and managed debate expectations. The expectation game has reached an all-time high this week, and the obviousness has reached a level of absurdity. Obama is a fantastic orator, but does not do as well in a debate setting. Romney is not as eloquent during an oration, but is a great debater. That is the reality of it, and this upcoming debate will be the beginning of a very interesting turning point in the election season.

PolicyMic will be covering the presidential debate live. For live updates bookmark and refresh this page.

UPDATE: 10:35 PM

Annddd, that is the end of it folks. Our vote: Romney wins today. He did very well. His points came out stronger, were more concise, and he definitely strengthened his base voters. However, he still doesn't seem relatable to the general public. 

Obama didn't really bring the heat. He did make some terrific points, but there was some kind of overall fervor that seemed to be missing. 

UPDATE: 10:29 PM

Closing statements time. 

Obama: "I promised I would fight every single day for the American people and the middle class. If you vote for me, I will fight just as hard in the second term."

Romney: He just closed by going point by point on what he is going to change. It was very eloquent, and Romney really did bring out the big guns. 

UPDATE: 10:23 PM

Romney isn't in favor of $90 billion in green jobs that could have hired more teachers. Romney just killed it, until he said they should grade schools. I don't really think that will be a longer-term solution.

UPDATE: 10:18 PM

Should the federal government help with education? 

Yes, yes, and one more time, yes. Federal funds should go to parents and child according to Romney. I do not approve. 

Obama is about to extend on Race to the Top, but first he is going to call out Romney for planning on cutting the education budget. 

Why don't they ask Romney his plans for Pell? 

UPDATE: 10:15 PM

Someone just yelled, "Socialism!" about Obama - the hilarity.

UPDATE: 10:13 PM

Romney said that Romneycare was a model, state-by-state. Not on a federal level. BOOM.

UPDATE: 10:09 PM

Obama: Under Romney's plan his plan duplicates what is already the law. It won't help people with pre-existing conditions. 

This is definitely something to watch out for. Pre-existing conditions have been one of the biggest issues with private insurance companies. Romney can't say this isn't a problem. 

UPDATE: 10:03 PM

Romney is bringing out the big guns. He is comparing what happened in Massachusetts compared to what Obamacare is doing now. They didn't raise taxes in MA, and he is saying that a decision like this should be bipartisan. 

Wow, that was a terrific answer. Well done, Mittens. 

UPDATE: 10:01 PM

Obama: "I had 5 seconds before you interrupted me." -- Ouch, someone is getting a bit testy. Our viewers here at Georgetown did not like that. 

UPDATE: 9:58 PM

Rd. 4 - Finally, time for Healthcare!

Romney's second big point is Obamacare cutting money from Medicaid. This point is argued over and over. False. 

Here is a pretty good summary of what is going on with both side's healthcare plans. 

UPDATE: 9:57 PM 

We are at the half way point. It seems like Obama is winning the people, but Romney has clearer, more concise answers up until now. 

UPDATE: 9:50 PM

Voucher systems put people at the mercy of the system. AARP says Romney's plan would damage Medicaid severely.

Oh, and Jim Lehrer making faces should definitely be a part of someone's drinking game. 

UPDATE: 9:48 PM

Rom Rom, can you just answer the voucher system question? 

UPDATE: 9:41 PM

Rd. 3 - Social Security

Obama and Romney both know you can't mess with Social Security. It is a program that will be here until the end of time...or until the money runs out. 

Obama: 716 billion was saved by not overpaying insurance companies. using that money, they were able to lower cost of prescriptions for the elderly. You don't need a big structural change for Social Securityto help it stay sustainable. 

UPDATE: 9:37 PM

Tax breaks to oil companies. That is exactly what they need. I'm from Texas folks. They really really don't need tax breaks. 

 

UPDATE: 9:34 PM

He is packing on the heat. He may almost be a little much, but the consensus here is that he has some excellent sound bites. 

UPDATE: 9:30 PM

Rd.2 - How are they going to fix the deficit? 

Fun fact - Our econ expert in the house says there is a big difference between deficit and debt. They should have asked debt. 

Romney wants to to give more back to the states, cut Obamacare, and cut PBS subsidies. 

I love PBS. Boo, Romney, boo.

Obama: "It's arithmetic." Somebody took a page out of Big Bill's book. I do agree with him here though. There is no way that Romney can dump what he has been saying for the last 18 months and still be able to make the same deductions.  

UPDATE: 9:16 PM

Obama finally said what everyone has been thinking. HOW ARE YOU DOING IT ROMNEY? Plenty of plans have been said, but the Romney campaign has definitely failed to tell us how they want to do any of these changes. 

UPDATE: 9:15 PM

Note from our viewers: Romney, that is not how the economy works!

 

UPDATE: 9:12 PM

Romney: 5 billion tax cut is false. He is bringing in the middle class. Everyone take a drink! 

 

UPDATE: 9:10 PM

Obama wans to raise 100,000 more teachers to focus on STEM. When are they going to talk about literacy and stop beating STEM over people's heads?

UPDATE: 9:09 PM

Listening to Romey give his answer and all the people around me can focus on is the hole in his flag lapel. 

 

 

UPDATE: 9:07 PM

Obama says that we need to focus on investing in education to help create more jobs. I couldn't agree more. 

UPDATE: 9:05 PM

Round 1: How are they going to go about creating jobs. Obama, FIGHT!

 

UPDATE: 8:57 PM 

The debate is about to start! Get excited everybody! 

Here are what the polls look like now. National Jounral is showing that Obama and Romney are tied. Any wagers on how much that will change by 10:30 pm?

UPDATE: 5:08 PM

Romney learns touse the interwebs.  Success!

UPDATE: 4:27 PM

We are inching closer to 9:00 PM folks. Who is going to be watching? According to the Washington Post, it won’t be 18-24 year olds.