October 4, 2012--Ladies of Forest Trace: The Debate

"I fell asleep after a half hour--I can't stay up like I used to--but from what I saw," It was my mother calling, "from what I saw Romney won and Obama lost."

It was quite early but I knew she was in a hurry to get down to breakfast so she could see the ladies and talk about what happened in Denver last night.

"I only have a minute but if for the rest of the time things went the same way, like I said, Romney won and Obama lost."

"I don't want to keep you but what you're saying is a little confusing--about the winning and the losing."

"Very simple, Romney did very well and Obama did very poorly.  He won, and he lost. I'm sure you saw all of it, what did you think?"

"I pretty much agree with you. But are you all right? You sound as if you have a sore throat."

"I do but not from being sick."

"From what then?"

"From talking to the TV."

"I understand. I was inclined to want to do the same thing."

"I kept saying, before I fell asleep, 'Fight back. Don't let him get away with making things up. He's not telling the truth. For years all he wanted to do was give more taxes to wealthy people like himself and his friends. So they can keep all of their money.'"

"I too don't understand why the president didn't do that."

"He let him get away with murder. Obama is smart. He knows all the facts. He should have stood up straight, looked him in the eye--which, by the way, he didn't do too much of, looking Romney in the eye (he spent the whole night, I mean half hour looking down at his papers)--and pointed out all the things he wasn't telling the truth about. That's what I was expecting but didn't happen. For why I do not know."

"It felt as if Romney was very well prepared and that Obama just showed up as if the debate was not important. That he could easily do better than Romney who everyone thought was going to make all sorts of mistakes and talk about the 47 percent of the people he doesn't care about."

"Did they talk about that after I went to bed? The percent?"

"Not a word. I can understand the moderator not asking about it, but when they were talking about taxes or health care Obama could have worked it into the discussion."

"And I heard on TV this morning that they didn't talk about women. Can that be true? That Obama didn't talk about us? I don't mean me--I don't need to choose, I'm too old for that--but can it be true he didn't bring that up either?"

"There wasn't a single word about that. I can't believe that's true--women are an important voting group for Obama, for both of them actually--but there was literally not one word spoken about women's health issues. In fact, though Obama mentioned the middle-class maybe twenty times, I don't think he used the word women once. Jim Lehrer didn't raise the subject, which is fine, but again Obama could have included it the discussion about health care. He mentioned his grandmother and her health care, but that was it. All the rest of it was spatting about Obamacare and Romneycare. My guess is that at least half the people watching had no idea or interest in any of that. It was too technical and petty."

"And here's the worst thing--and after this I have to run downstairs, not really run anymore," she said with a chuckle--"Worst was that Romney looked like he wanted to be there; Obama looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. Romney was full of energy and Obama seemed tired. Romney made himself seem older than the younger Obama. From the first minute, from this, I knew that Obama could be in trouble."

"I also agree with that."

"I mean in trouble about winning."

"I know," I said sighing.

"Here's what we really need to worry about."

"What's that?"

"Not about him winning but what he will have to allow the Republicans in Congress do. They will be in charge and they are serious about cutting the heart out of everything. Any senior person who votes for them should have their heads examined. But I fear too many will. Unless Obama can do a lot better next time, he won't be able to win here in Florida."

"That could be," I said, sounding resigned to myself.

"I'm going to have a hard time with the girls. Because if any of them were able to stay up to watch it," she trailed off, "they may now be thinking . . ."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"But I need to run. My cold cereal is getting cold."

I was happy to see that she still had her sense of humor. "Do you think they'll show it again--the debate--so I can watch what I missed?"

"I'm sure they will. Go to C-SPAN. You'll find it there. Not that . . ."

"I know what you are saying, 'Not that I'll want to see any more.' It was that bad?"

"I'm afraid so. But call me later after you watch it. Maybe I missed something."

"From the first half hour you could have missed the whole thing."

And with that she was gone.