I noticed something after watching the final presidential debate Monday night and then flipping between CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.
It was clear Barack Obama had won the debate. He outtalked, outwitted and all around outdone Mitt Romney. Romney looked sweaty and nervous while the president was surprisingly specific and concise. It got to the point to where Romney was simply agreeing with Obama on most of the foreign policy issues brought up by moderator Bob Schieffer.
Few republicans would admit Romney lost the debate. Instead they would say things like he was “staying above the fray,” he “fell prey to Obama’s fast talking” or he “did not stoop to personal attacks.” The latter is my favorite, as Romney had no problem using personal attacks during the first two debates.
This is a very predictable response from the Republican Party because there are two things that they will never admit: being wrong and losing.
When Obama lost the first debate democrats admitted it. I proudly wrote about how disappointing the president’s performance was the day after that debate.
Jon Stewart mocked the president to his face about his lackluster first debate performance when Obama appeared on his show last week.
We saw how the republicans lose when Obama was first elected president. Obama had the majority at first and he used to pass health care reform, a huge achievement that every president since Dwight Eisenhower tried to accomplish.
The republicans responded to their loss by voting in a bunch of fringe candidates into the House who believe government’s only role is to protect property ownership and limit women’s reproductive rights.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell even said, “Our top political priority over the next two years will be to deprive President Obama of a second term.”
They have attempted to do this by outright refusing to work with the president on any issues that will actually help the country. This is how most republicans respond to losing; they overreact and throw fits.
The other thing republicans never admit to is being wrong. This is best exemplified in Romney.
Romney has said that he can “take some credit” for the bailout of the auto industry, which Obama fully supported. Economists from both sides of the aisle agree that the auto industry bailout worked. It saved the companies and jobs.
Romney cannot take credit for the bailout, however, because he was against it.
Romney wrote an op-ed for the New York Times titled “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” In the article Romney argued the federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy car companies instead of a bailout. He wrote if we bailed out the auto industry we could “kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.”
But that is what Romney does. He says one thing, and then when he is wrong he revises it after the fact. There are no consequences for being wrong in Romney’s world. People just fall in line.
