Both candidates have their go-to bragging points — and a few things they’re hoping Jim Lehrer won’t get into.
Romney Bragging Points
1. Health care
Romney was Romneycaring about kids way before Obama was Obamacaring about all the layabout unemployeds. Universal healthcare is so 2006 (which is when Massachusetts governor Romney signed Massachusetts Health Reform into law — after Senator Ted Kennedy secured dollar-for-dollar matching funds from the federal government to get the program going).
2. Business expertise: Hey guys, I’m rich.
This is a tried and true strategy, as evidenced by our own financially successful mayor: If he’s rich, he can make us rich too. And maybe, just maybe, no one will mention outsourcing. A billionaire can dream, right? (Actually Romney’s only worth a mere $250 million, according to Bloomberg News.)
3. Religion & the majority of people in that big space between NY and LA
No abortion? No problem. Romney will jump at the chance to make the case to conservative voters that his values are theirs — no abortion, no messing with prayer in schools, and no question that Obama is ready to dismantle those concerns at any time.
4. The national debt
Because he doesn’t have any — unlike students, sick people, and probably at this point most of America’s toddlers. This is what Romney would want to emphasize, equating personal wealth or lack thereof with national wealth or lack thereof. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” quickly becomes “Our national debt is out of control.” According to Romney, Obama lost you all your money. And he didn’t even take you to Atlantic City.
5. His hardy bootstraps: But I used to be poor, too!
As Ann can tell you, the Romneys were once poor too. Until Mitt pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Bootstraps he made all on his own.
Romney’s dreading talking about . . .
1. Health care
Hopefully Lehrer won’t get into how Romney initially declared he’d repeal Obamacare the minute he stepped foot on the cushy carpet of the Oval Office and yet only a few weeks ago conceded he might hang on to some of the stuff in there. After all, it was his idea to begin with.
2. Taxes: Hey guys, I’m not that rich.
Between having declared via his attorney that he overpaid his 2011 taxes a mere two months after declaring that had he overpaid his taxes he would not be fit to be president, and the fact that he has yet to release any returns pre-2010, Romney is probably crossing his fingers and toes that this issue will be kept off the books, so to speak.
3. Psst — 47 percent of Americans are tax-evading victims
Romney has said he just didn’t articulate this idea well enough. Which basically means he does believe it, he just wishes you hadn’t heard him say it. Although, perhaps he can use this whole “not elegantly stated” thing to trump Obama in the Lowering Expectations pissing contest that seems to be geared at making the American people think even less of politicians’ intelligence and capabilities than they already do. Remember, people, you should be voting for whoever you pity most after this debate.
4. Religion: Mormonism
Face it: A lot of Americans think it’s weird. Just sayin’.
5. Gay marriage or civil unions
He supported domestic partnership benefits and other gay rights while campaigning for governor, and even while in office for a time, and now has made opposition to same sex marriage and even civil unions a cornerstone of his presidential campaign. He also recently had that awkward run in with a gay Vietnam veteran, from which he had to be extracted by a staffer interrupting from off-camera, “Governor, we gotta get on with FoxNews right now.” And then off he went, to get it on with FoxNews.
Obama’s Bragging Points
1. Health care
Don’t forget that Obama sort of got y’all health care. Sure, he let Congress pick through it like vultures, but by 2042 or something, you’ll be able to go to a doctor. (Since its passage, the bill has gone all the way to the nation’s highest court, where it was ultimately upheld albeit watered down.)
2. Getting troops out of Iraq, sort of
Sure, Obama originally promised to get all troops out of Iraq by 2009, but the end of 2011 is basically the same thing. In dog years, maybe? Hey, speaking of which, remember Romney’s dog? (Misdirection, Mr. President. Take note.)
3. Killing Bin Laden
In case you haven’t heard, Obama killed Osama. Singlehandedly, with his bare hands. Eat it up, bloodthirsty America.
4. Women
If Obama makes a ‘hey girl’ reference, probably 70 percent of the hipster bloggers who are too annoyed with him to campaign for him this time around might change their tune. Moreso if they can vote from their MacBook. Isn’t there a Tumblr for that?
5. We’re on Mars!
He may have had nothing to do with it, but it is pretty cool. And promising more funding to space programs (again) might get all the mohawked, pocket-protectorless nerds to come out for him.
Obama’s dreading talking about . . .
1. Health care
Despite glowing reviews of Obama’s push for health care, much of America isn’t convinced — a Rasmussen poll released Monday showed that 52 percent of likely voters favor repealing it. The President may be OK with not bringing up something that is still controversial.
2. Libya embassy attack
Jon Stewart put it best: the attack on the embassy may have been pre-planned and coordinated, but the President’s response definitely wasn’t.
3. Guantanamo Bay
PROMISE FAIL. Although Romney likely doesn’t have any interest in closing down our offshore torture facilities, Obama’s failure to do so is one of the toughest sticking points among his frustrated former supporters.
4. Gun control
While New Yorkers might be all about the gun control, from our storage spaces to our mayor trotting out slogans and spokespersons left and right, the rest of America is iffy on letting Big Brother Barack take away their semi-automatics.
5. Gay marriage or civil unions
Obama didn’t even really come out in political or legislative support for gay marriage, but declaring his personal support for it caused enough PR problems. It’s likely POTUS is hoping Lehrer doesn’t pull a Biden and force his hand on this one yet again.
