The first debate between President Barack Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney turned out to be the most decisive in the history of presidential debates dating back to 1960. In the week following the debate Romney went from over three points down in the Real Clear Politics average of national polls to take his first ever lead over the President.
While Obama may still win the election the myth of Barack Obama has been punctured forever. Ever since he burst on the national scene with his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention Obama has been a tabula rasa upon which others projected their fantasies. Despite the slenderness of his resume no accolade proved too grandiose for his supporters. He was described as the most intelligent man ever to occupy the Oval Office. A 2008 Time cover portrayed him as FDR and a Newsweek cover of the same year as castingLincoln’s shadow. Less than a year into his first term and without a single substantive accomplishment to his name he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
That super-hero image was always wildly implausible. Far from being the greatest presidential orator in history Obama has shown little capacity to persuade. Over 50 speeches on ObamaCare failed to move the needle of public opinion; the more the president spoke the more the American public disapproved of ObamaCare. With few exceptions his speeches are unreadable — platitudinous and devoid of insight — albeit delivered in a sonorous baritone voice.
The image of the President appearing to shrink physically as the debate wore on deflating in front of a national audience will never be fully erased. His most ardent admirers were his most livid critics. Chris Matthews who once admitted to feeling a “tingle in my leg ” upon listening to the candidate Obama speak demanded to know “Where was Obama tonight?” Andrew Sullivan — “everybody knows how much I love this guy” — was hysterical: “Never has a candidate this late in the campaign so far ahead just thrown in the towel in the way Obama did last week.” Vulgarian Bill Maher who contributed one million dollars to the Obama campaign tweeted that Obama really does need a teleprompter and speculated that his entire contribution had been spent on hallucinogens.
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