To understand why Obama acted so passive in last night's debate, you have to understand that fighting, getting in pissing matches, and raising his voice is not in his personality. He is confrontation-averse, and this is why he has also disappointed so many of us throughout his presidency.
To many of us, he has been milquetoast as a president and leader since he won in 2008. Sure, he's done lots of good things but where is the passion? Where is the pride? Where was his staunch defense of his adminstration last night? Does he really want to keep his job? He let Mitt off the hook numerous times last night and had no interest in pressing him on dishonest stuff and flip-flops he has said in the campaign.
See below the squiggle what can be done about this, and how Obama can close the deal in future debates and win re-election.
Mitt probably still loses in November, but Obama didn't do himself any favors last night. He looked like a weak and meek guy up there compared to Mitt. The fix for this is obvious: Obama better come out swinging in the next two debates or we have ourselves a real horse race to the end.
While I just can't believe Americans will vote for a Wall Street oligarch to run this country, after all we've been through in recent years, it can happen if people forget the clusterf*ck that preceeded Obama. But Mitt can win....it's a dumb country (with idiot voters).
So Obama has to refresh America's memory about that. He has to ask Mitt in the foreign policy debate if he was in favor of invading and occupying Iraq. When Mitt says YES, then Obama should tell the American people that judgment on matters like that are critical and that Obama opposed the "dumb war" while Mitt wanted it. Since the majority of Americans side with Obama, a reminder to the people that Mitt Romney would be a repeat of Bush foreign policy would be a great closer in the foreign policy debate. Obama should let people know that most if not all of Mitt's foreign policy advisors are the same neocon war hawks that advised W. And he should use the word "neocon".
He has to ask Mitt how he's any different from Bush, who got us into this mess. He has to ask Mitt if he TRULY has the middle class in his heart when he has been advocating for over a year many policies that enrich the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. He has to ask Romney why he would jeopardize national security by accusing him (the President) of siding with the terrorists in Libya. He has to go so far as to say to Mitt that the press release that accused him of that was "beneath contempt".
In short, Obama has to call out Romney for his mendacity and unsteadiness in his policy positions and foreign policy proclamations. He has to call Romney's judgment into question. He has to make Mitt UNTRUSTWORTHY.
Just reminding America what got us attracted to him in the first place, i.e. his early opposition to the Iraq war at a time that Romney and others supported it should be enough to close the deal, IF HE SHOWS PASSION.
Despite Obama's aversion to confrontation, he has to confront Mitt face-to-face with the TRUTH.