Presidential debate 2012 #2

Cartoon: Nate Beeler 

He liberals in the US will be happier in the wake of the second Presidential debate held today (Au EST).  President Obama put up a better performance than in the first, which wouldn’t be difficult as he was shambolic in that one.  Early ‘quick and dirty’ polls give it to Obama, although only by a few points with a third of respondents calling it a tie.  Given the impact of the first debate, Obama needed a decisive victory, which didn’t happen.

The Obama camp will also be a lot happier this time with the performance of the moderator, Candy Crowley.  After the first Jim Lehrer was strongly criticized by the left for not doing enough to help the President.  Candy on the other hand, knew what her side expected of her and delivered.

Romney once again put in a strong performance and probably held his own although as some supporters suggest, he was up against two opponents.  The problem with this line of thinking though, is that given the political ideology of the media, and thus moderators, he has to be able to cope with this. 

Some Queenslanders remember the 1995 election being turned around in the Treasurers debate where The Liberal Party’s Joan Sheldon made mince meat of Labor’s Keith De Lacy, despite moderator Kerry O’Brien using minefields, slit trenches, a mortar barrage and machine gun emplacements to try to keep her off him.

This has been said here before, but it is high time for other candidates to be allowed on the podium.  There are a number of other parties ,which have qualified for ballot status in sufficient states to give them a statistical chance to win.  The idea of putting up only two of them who only disagree on which of them should have the job, denies the public access to any fresh ideas coming from elsewhere.

The Libertarian Party is on the ballots in forty-eight states with the other two subject to legal challenge from the GOP.  Nominee, Gary Johnson is a two term Governor of New Mexico, with Judge Jim Grey as a VP Nominee making a viable and credible ticket.

The Green Party is on thirty-eight state ballots plus DC.  The Constitution Party is represented in twenty-eight states with write in status in fourteen more.  The Justice party has substantial coverage although not enough to win.