Random Thoughts

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Romney's gotta show he has emotions.  Haven't we learned he’s a feelin’ man over the past couple of weeks?

. . . It'll be 65 degrees in the hall.  That's what the candidates agreed upon.

. . . Nevertheless, “The Heat Is On” (Glenn Frey, on MCA Records, from 1985).

. . . It looks like the candidates each have on two microphones.  A wireless hand-held and then a “lavalier mic" clipped on Obama's tie and on Romney's left-side suit lapel.  So they're a bit different in this regard.

. . . Obama:  reddish tie with a pattern.  Romney:  blue and white striped tie. You figure out the significance.

. . . The wide shot makes moderator Candy Crowley look miles away from the candidates.

. . . Ms. Crowley identified herself as from "State of the Union," her Sunday talk show, and not from her namesake network CNN. 

. . . I guess anchors are bigger than the networks they work for.

. . . Already Romney more things to say during his answers than time will allow and he and Crowley exchange a few words on her wanting to change the subject.  Crowley wins that argument.

. . . Romney's taking over again, showing his aggressive side. 

. . . The candidates go back to their respective stools while the other one takes the stage.

. . . Where’s the dunce cap?  

. . . Once again, universally the live streams on the Web are eons behind the TV audio/video pickup beaming out of Hempstead, N.Y. It churns and churns and churns. 

. . . It's impossible to watch solely on the Internet. Too frustrating.

. . . It’s got a long way to go to become the future TV.

. . . Crowley looks lost in the crowd way back there. Her desk should have been moved forward more. I had to look for her.

. . . REQUEST.  Can we keep those "Trending Now," "factoids" and Twitter comments with its stupid birdie logo off the screen?

. . . Get Sylvester the Cat after 'em.  He'll take care of all those nasty birds tweeting.

. . . Candy's got some curl in her brown hair and it's draping down her back, flowing freely.

. . .  Conversely, Martha Raddatz, last week's VP debate moderator, had hers hanging down straight and laying flat. They were two different moderator images.

. . . Romney likes to sit in the back on his stool and smile while his opponent has the but the smile doesn't seem like it's representing friendliness.

. . . Women in the work force.  They discuss it.

. . . Romney seems often on the offense and Obama seems often on the defense.

. . . Good question from a Susan Katz. She's asking how Romney is gonna be different from fellow Republican George Bush who came before him.

. . . Romney is critical of the former president. 

. . . There was a little kerfuffle about the format.  This seems to be happening a lot tonight.  Romney and Obama have both been complaining and argumentative about it.

. . . It's a lot more contentious than the VP debate.  That was calmer and more controlled.

. . . I'm glad to see pencil and paper back on the candidate's tables.  They look like yellow legal pads on a clipboard.

. . . I guess the candidates haven’t gone paperless.

. . . I didn’t see a tablet or n iPad back there on table top. They're old-fashioned guys – unlike NBC’s Chuck Todd with Apple product in hand or CNN’s John King at the big board or the male anchors on Fox & Friends on the weekends who refer to their notes on their iPads.

. . . Obama's always talking about college.  Not everybody goes to college and folks, it's okay if they all don't. 

. . . They're not the only ones who deserve jobs.

. . . Romney's a businessman, we know that.  He knows all the figures and has a lot of plans on how to improve the economy and the job situation.

. . . Wait til he arrives in Washington.

. . . Romney's answering a question posed by a young Hispanic woman about immigration. 

. . . It's a good format tonight but it does seem to encourage speechifying, which each candidate is good at.

. . . Romney says what he wants to say and tells Candy what he's going to do and not what she's asking him to do.

. . . Candy asked Romney to sit down and let Obama have the floor.

. . . "Have you looked at your pension?" asked Romney of the president.  Obama said no he hadn’t but that he was sure it wasn't as big as his opponent's.

. . . Uh oh, here comes Benghazi, a question from the audience addressed to President Obama, about the death of an American diplomat and three others in a terrorist attack in Libya.

. . . Trouble spot.  Let's see what Romney has to say about it.

. . . Mitt's starting out being sympathetic to the victims with his answer.

. . . But he's critical of Obama going to a fund-raiser the day after news broke of the event, and he’s extending his criticism to the rest of Obama's foreign policy.  

. . . “Hillary Clinton is a great secretary of state but she works for me and I take responsibility,” attested Obama.

. . . But yesterday Clinton said she’s taking the blame for the attack and she’s responsible for security.

. . . (“Who’s Gonna Take the Blame” – Smokey Robinson and The Miracles on Tamla Records, 1970).

. . . JUST ASKING.  Will Obama deploy the Navy SEALS to find the murderers like he did for Osama bin Laden?

. . . Candy knows her facts.  Boy, she's got to keep up with this crowd.  She got applause for speaking up clarifying the “terrorist act” controversy.

. . . (“Controversy” – Prince, on Warner Bros. Records, 1981).

. . . “Weapons of war don't belong on the streets,” said Obama in regard to a question about assault weapons.

. . . Romney blames the gun violence on "Fast and Furious."

. . . Candy asked Mitt why he changed his position on an assault weapons ban.

. . . Mitt talked his way out of that one.

. . . Candy is trying to wrap Obama up and he keeps going on and on and on, like the Energizer Bunny.

. . . At the end of it all I'd like to see Romney and Obama swinging and swaying together a la Milli and Vanilli just for the heck of it. Wouldn't that be fun and just the levity we need? 

. . . Like two puppets.

. . . Or what about Gangnam Style?

. . . Romney doesn't look like he has a bald spot.  Obama doesn't seem to have one either.  Earlier in the evening a network reporter related that one of the candidates asked the Commission on Presidential Debates for the lighting to be adjusted so as not to expose it. 

 . . . Well, if there was one I guess they did a good job hiding it.

. . . Debunking a Myth: What's the biggest misconception about you (each candidate)?

. . . A thoughtful question from “undecided” audience member Barry Green who had a good knot in his brown tie.

. . . Romney:  "My faith."  I worked as a missionary.  I got our schools ranked #1 in the nation. 

. . . Instead of focusing on the question he made a campaign speech.

. . . This is not answering the question.

. . . “I'll do this, I'll do that.”

. . . Obama:  “I believe everyone should have a fair share.”

. . . Obama's not answering the question directly either.

. . . It's over.  Everybody comes out on the stage:  the audience, family members.  

. . . It's an autograph session and a photo op.  They’re rock stars.

. . . They're all posing for pictures and video (to go viral?).

. . . “Pretty in Pink.”  That's what Ann Romney and Michelle Obama were in their similarly colored outfits.

. . . All those people crowding the stage must give the Secret Service a real headache.  They were all over the place -- the ones with those ear plugs (ear buds, listening to a favorite playlist?) in their ears.

. . . UH . . . “The Whole Word is a Stage” -- The Fantastic Four on Ric-Tic Records, 1967.