Wednesday's debate wasn't the best for President Obama. As his opponent Mitt Romney seemed to charge over the both the president and the night's moderator, Jim Lehrer, some viewers felt that the Republican presidential hopeful came across strong and insightful. Colorlines editor Imara Jones, however, points out the clear differences between Romney's fundamental platforms and what he proclaimed during the debate. As Jones puts it, maybe he is prepared to run America, just not an America where people can survive.
The Debate and the 47 Percent
The series of fundamental debate errors compound an unraveling which began with the infamous "47 percent" comment.
The "47 percent" statement was so damaging not only because, as Maureen Dowd of the New York Times said, "Romney came across … as a Cranbrook kid at the country club smugly swaddled in class disdain." What really hurt is that his comments showed an in-the-bubble ignorance about the country that he inhabits and wants to run.
Last night Romney only added to this perception.
Disturbingly, he came across as a person in an imaginary America where tax cuts for the wealthy will solve the hardship of the many; where 50 million people can be insured by first being un-insured; and where hollow assertions substitute for real policies.
Perhaps Gov. Romney is qualified to be president of that America. But setting aside for the moment Obama's own challenges on the economy, over the last month Romney has slowly exposed the fact that he may not be qualified to run the country in which the rest of us live. In a year when we need a real and vigorous debate between both parties about our future, his extraordinary detachment is even more worrisome than any of us would like to fathom.
Read Imara Jones' entire piece at Colorlines.
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