Romney & the Republicans have fucked up with their debate expectations...

[Drunken Irishman]

I don't quite get it, but whatever.

Romney's biggest mistake was putting a timeline on his campaign by suggesting he'd turn things around at the debate. That right there was dumb. No campaign would ever give out a definitive point they need to turn things around to win. It's absolutely devastating because if that point passes, and they're still in the same position, they've pretty much just conceded defeat - a month, now, before the election.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

But even more stupid has been all these Republicans going on national television highlighting the importance of the debate and suggesting Romney is going to have some major zingers at his disposal. They're already inflating the expectations so much that it's going to be impossible for Romney to succeed. He just can't have a narrow win over Obama in the debates ... he can't even have a comfortable win. No, he's going to have to have a blowout win ... a knockout punch and that is just not likely.

If he doesn't get it, if we leave the first debate with the same narrative as we entered, well, he's just written the obituary on his campaign himself.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Wouldn't that be the ultimate zinger?

......to write your own political epitaph?

I hope it happens.

[lunatica]

2. Do you really expect him to change any of his failed etch-a-sketches now?

If nothing else you can say with confidence that he's been consistent throughout his campaign.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. They are setting up the "win" narrative.

I think they know that Romney can't win the debate on issues. Now it will be "zingers delivered". If Romney delivers some unspecified number of "zingers" the rw pundits will pronounce victory. As there is no objective standard for debate victories, it is all about attempting to frame What Just Happened for those too dim to make their own minds up.

[charlyvi]

7. He already has the dimwit vote locked up anyway, though. n/t

[southernyankeebelle]

4. I am pissed off. How dare Romney act like this is a freakin game to him. People are looking

for answers. Does anyone think just because he might get his zingers in that will make him win. He needs to give us FACTS not zingers. Shame on him. This isn't a game change. That alone will make people not pay attention to him. All along this has been a game with himself to see if he can actually get elected. It will be another notch on his belt.

[dballance]

9. I don't really think he is a serious candidate

I think he just the title, not the job.

[southernyankeebelle]

21. That's why I think he is Sarah Palin in a dress.

[Liberalagogo]

23. I thought

that was Ryan's job.

[southernyankeebelle]

29. Sometimes it's hard to tell who is on top of the ticket.

[L0oniX]

24. After you have so much money it becomes a game of power.

[southernyankeebelle]

28. Well I sure think the american people want facts and not zingers.

[obxhead]

5. What you call stupid I call brilliant.

He and his supporters on the teevee really are the gift that keeps giving.

[cin63]

6. They act

as if they have all the questions and he just needs to memorize the answers.

[Live and Learn]

18. No, no, no. There will be no answers, just zingers.

[L0oniX]

25. Silly ...Red Zinger is a tea.

[Live and Learn]

26. Silly me. And all this time I thought a zinger was a pink twinkie.

On second thought, Romney might be better off just promising free zingers for everyone if he is elected.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. Since the GOP has been the architect of plunging this country into more debt after it created it

then Romney doesn't have a leg to stand on

[Jeroen]

10. Reboot.Reboot.Reboot. n/t

[BootinUp]

11. What hasn't Romney fucked up

during this campaign. Seems like an epic tale of disaster to me.

[truebluegreen]

12. And I, for one, will be totally persuaded

by "zingers" that Mittens memorized and has been practicing in front of his mirror.

One-liners as policy? Puh-leese.

[crim son]

13. Maybe they believe he has nothing to lose at this point.

Heh.

[JohnLWilder]

14. Zingers? Really?!

That's what they're going with? Wow...

[Cha]

15. Team Obama Ad on mitt's "Great Expectations"..

"Obama camp mocks Mitt's "Great Expectations"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101762841

The Pressure is on Romney

[janx]

17. Love it!

Landslide? What do you think?

[heaven05]

19. the

american right wing is extremely disgusting

[TomCADem]

22. Excellent DNC Ad - We Better Be Weeping At Romney's Eloquence!

The Republican machine, including Fox and Limbaugh, Will Be Ready To Start Spiking The Football, so Romney is going to have to make Reagan look like a mute with a stutter to pull this off.

[janx]

16. I cannot figure out how the Romney campaign has spent so very much money

on so few results. I agree with you.

The Republican party is in Very Bad Shape.

[Zen Democrat]

20. After this debate the media will play up foreign affairs as THE debate. I've seen it so many times.

[judesedit]

27. If Rob-me says ONE sensible, meaningful, true thing, I will apologize for being so hard on him.

Because, actually, I expect nothing but lying, inaccuracies, and dancing around the questions. A basic foot-in-mouth debate from him is what you're gonna get. If Rob-me's got a hotwire giving him all of the answers, they still won't be delivered correctly. With Barack's intelligence, composure, thoughtfulness, wit and eloquence, Nitwitt's a goner. I'll bet you $$$$ Nitwitt'll be on drugs to stimulate the brain and others to calm the body. He'll probably be tongue-twisted. I work nights, darn it. I'll have to watch it postmortem.

[D23MIURG23]

30. How is Rmoney going to win a debate? Wouldn't that require having a position on an issue?

Will Rmoney attack Obama from several different positions at once? I'm not sure that has ever been tried. Arguing multiple positions on a single issue in a single debate could be disarming; I hope Obama is prepared for that.

In any case, if there is one skill set that Obama has, it is the one where he keeps his cool in public and thinks on his feet. A knockout is an outcome I would not bet on if I was the Rmoney campaign. I wonder if the skipped the 2008 debates?