At Debate-Watching Party in Suburban Ohio, Voters Are Less Than Thrilled ~ NYT [View all]

[mzmolly]

By SUSAN SAULNY

WORTHINGTON, Ohio — Theater seats? Check. Shrimp cocktails and crudités? Check. Flat-screen television with the volume low just waiting for the big show to start? Check.

People who have been un-friended on Facebook by relatives because of their political views? Oh, yes.

The first night of truly must-see TV this fall season for the Gardner and Jernigan families in this suburb of Columbus was the first presidential debate Wednesday evening between President Obama and Mitt Romney, the Republican challenger.

...

“I want to see an actual plan from Romney,” Mr. Jernigan said. “I’d like to see Obama be very forceful in defending his own actions as president. And I wouldn’t be opposed to a highly entertaining moment from Romney, something like, ‘I can see Russia from my house!’ ”

After the debate, the group did not shift their views. “I don’t know the specifics of these things, so some of it didn’t mean a lot to me,” said Mr. Gardner, the host. “Like I said before we started, I hate the ‘I’m going to repeal what you did and do something that’s better!’ Who doesn’t want to hear that? Basically nothing changed for me.”

This, I expect is the real story behind the debates. Mitt Romney may have "won" according to pundits and various political enthusiasts who like red meat, but did he move undecided voters into the R column? I doubt it.

More at link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/us/politics/at-debate-watching-party-in-suburban-ohio-voters-are-less-than-thrilled.html?_r=0