Round #1

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Have you ever taken a tumble, got back up, shook yourself off and felt just fine? Then a few days later you realize you must have twisted something? Perhaps you were in a minor “fender bender” and made an assessment of yourself and determined you were unscathed, then a few days, sometimes a week later you were at the doctors office being treated for back spasms or an aching neck? Often it takes a few days to fully comprehend the results of an event.

“Thrilla in Manilla”

As a child I remember “The Greatest.” Back before the days of Cable television, HBO, Pay-Per-View, we used to listen to Cassius Clay and then Muhammad Ali’s fights on the radio. Many of my readers may be too young to remember those days when we’d all huddle around the radio listening to Howard Cosell call the fight. We all developed a love hate relationship with Howard. He was so biased against Ali in how he called the fight that it became hilarious. Muhammad would be taking a terrible beating… right up until he knocked his opponent out.

Ali – Frazier

We could hardly wait until Saturday afternoon when ABC’s “The Wide World of Sports” came on, and we could watch it for ourselves. We were crestfallen when Muhammad refused to go to Vietnam. We understood his principal, and as the Black Community we had his back. Many of us had lost loved ones and also disagreed with the war and why it was being fought. When the boxing commission stripped him of his title we were further disappointed but we understood.

After 3 years when they gave him back his license – something to do with the money they were losing – we all eagerly anticipated him regaining his crown. The man currently holding that crown was “Smokin Joe Frazier.” Back then, most of us did not realize that he and Muhammad Ali were actually close friends. Muhammad got back to training and after a few preliminary bouts, a title match was confirmed. Almost every radio in the Black Community was tuned to the fight that night. It was to be the night that Ali reclaimed his glory and won back the title wrongfully taken from him by lawyers. Nobody and I mean nobody could take it from him in the boxing ring!

The fight went the full 15 rounds – that’s what they fought back then – and at the end, Joe Frazier was declared the winner by decision. We were dumbfounded and outraged. When they showed the fight on Wide World of Sports, we could see that the fix was in. Muhammad Ali clearly won the fight but they couldn’t give it to him because of all he represented.

Best Friends

After the fight, Joe Frazier was nearly unrecognisable. Both eyes were swollen shut. His lips were puffy and swollen and he had to spend two weeks in the hospital recovering. Muhammad looked none the worse worse for wear. A couple of bruises but he was giving interviews the next day. He was seen out at dinner and looking forward to the rematch. I submit, if you’re in a fight and you put your opponent in the hospital for a couple of weeks, and you walk away virtually unscathed? I don’t care what anyone says, you won that fight!

The Handshake

On 3 October 2012, Mitt Romney and President Obama met in Denver, CO for their first in a series of 3 debates. Although it should come as no surprise, I’m fully in the tank for President Obama. However, I tried to put my biases aside and listen as though I were an undecided, independent voter still trying to make up my mind. Of course there are some caveats to this. For one, I’m somewhat of a Political “wonk.” I’m retired and I watch the news all day long. My television pretty much stays on MSNBC. Thus, I am not like a casual viewer, unfamiliar with events.

Early on in the debate it became apparent to me – yeah I counted Mitt’s prepared, canned “zingers” – that Mitt was swinging for the fences, fighting for his political life and the truth was the first casualty. During the Republican primary debates, Jon Huntsman referred to Mitt as a “well lubed weathervane.” I saw what he meant. Essentially, President Obama was debating a “brand new Mitt.” Everything he’d said, every

Jon Huntsman

position he’d taken over the previous 18 months meant nothing.

If you were paying attention, you should have noticed Mitt catch himself. He almost let the cat out of the bag. When the subject of his healthcare plan was being discussed, Mitt turned smugly and disavowed it, coming just short of saying, you can’t discuss my health plan because I haven’t told anyone what it really is.

When pressed on his 5 trillion dollar tax cut – that is what it would amount to if you cut everybody’s taxes by 20% – Mitt denied the figure amounted to 5 trillion dollars. This is a relatively simple math problem. He had no answers other than to say his plan was deficit neutral. How? Why? “Because he said it is.” How will you pay for it? “I’ll pay for it by closing loopholes.” That sounds nice until you give it some thought. The problem of course is, there are not that many loopholes. 5 trillion dollars is a lot of money. When pressed, on whether he would take it out of the military budget his answer was “no.” In fact he plans to increase military spending.

I’m a grown ass man. I don’t accept, “trust me” any more. I need to know what it is exactly you’re going to do. Will you take away the home owner’s deduction? Mitt danced, dodged and said nothing. He did it with flair and conviction, but I’ve heard “corporate speak” before and can cut right through it. My vocabulary is at least as big as Mitt’s and I actually understand it when you say you’re going to blow smoke up my ass. You can call it incense enema therapy but I know what that means.

Mitt criticized the President on his alternative energy programs then in the next breath proclaimed that he was going to make America energy independent. Again with the smoke and mirrors! I was simply stunned when Mitt proclaimed he did not know corporations were given a tax break for shipping jobs overseas. I understand that people lie for various reasons. Actually I’ve come to expect it. All I ask is that you make it a good lie. Make it believable. Make it entertaining. When you don’t, you’re calling me stupid and I tend to get offended.

All together, Mitt told 27 lies in 38 minutes. Not too shabby. I’m not sure if that’s a record, but it at least deserves an honorable mention. President Obama stuck closely to the facts. To be sure any time you put forth a concept there may be other ways to approach it. Yet, the so called fact-checking sites had an extremely difficult time finding much President Obama said to be incorrect. I suppose the question is, can you win a debate by simply lying about everything? Can you lose a debate by being honest?

The point of a debate is for two opponents to set forth their best arguments and pick one another’s arguments apart. The operative word here is best argument. If we’re just going to make it up as we go along, we’re really having a competition in creative story telling. Ricky Gervais should run on the Republican ticket and reprise his role from “The Invention of Lying.” He’d be a shoe in.

It seems there wereat least 3 audiences watching the debate that night. The Republicans who thought that Mitt Romney simply mopped the floor with President Obama. The Democrats who were disappointed that President Obama did not put Mitt in check and call him on his lies. Then there were the pseudo-Independents who were actually trying to hear something informative. As you might expect, the reactions of all three groups were somewhat different.

Immediately following the debate, a poll was conducted of 100 people. I found the results interesting. 46 of them said that Mitt Romney clearly won it. 22 said President Obama clearly won the debate. I figured these two groups were probably fairly partisan in their views. 32 called it a draw. What does this mean? Remember this was prior to all the fact checking.

President Obama as the incumbent is like the champ. To take his title you must knock him out or beat him so decisively there is no question in the minds of the judges. The fact that 54% of those polled did not believe Mitt won the debate means that Mitt lost. At least with this group of people polled.

Does style win over substance? That depends on whether you want a President from “central casting” or a President who will perform competently? I for one am not in the market for incense enema therapy. Another real question which springs to mind, deals with a possible strategy being employed by President Obama.

Following the debate, Democratic Pundits were running around with their hair on fire saying, “why didn’t President Obama hit back?” “He didn’t even bring up the 47% comments!” “You’d do that on a bet!” A couple of things. First, Mitt Romney was expecting that. He was hoping for it. An estimated 70 million people were watching the debate. Mitt Romney was all prepared to offer his “mea culpa” and present his explanation with an apology. He didn’t get that opportunity. The evidence is, Mitt went on the Hannity show and gave his carefully practiced remarks. The difference of course is, Hannity has a much smaller audience. Those who watch Hannity are already going to vote for Mitt anyway. Thus, not bringing it up frustrated Mitt’s plans.

While the President may not have had the opportunity to get as much practice in as Mitt – he is running this nation after all – his advisors had thoroughly studied Mitt and probably predicted he would sprint towards the center by disavowing his previous positions. Since most people do not watch politics all day long, They needed to get Mitt to commit to his positions. They put the buckets with quick set concrete in front of Mitt and he stepped right in. In the next debate he gets pushed off the pier.

Jim Lehrer

There was an unexpected added bonus. Jim Lehrer was manhandled and pushed around so badly by Mitt Romney, all subsequent moderators will now come loaded for bear with all their fact checking done. When you want to catch an Eel, you’ve got to put sand on your hands or it will slip right through your fingers. Mitt is one slippery Devil. This concludes my post debate wrap up until the next time.