As the forum's representative of the moderate swing voter, do not fear.
You're about as representative as I am. Not very.
Supporters of those I don't pick always say that, yet I've never supported a loser in an election (a protest vote aside). This includes dead even polled elections where I still managed to pick the winning guy. I don't plan to start now. It's not gloating or anything, it's just a truth. I'm not an ideologue. I'm the guy in the middle in focus groups that decides elections. I considered McCain until the Palin pick and economic collapse then moved to Obama, just like the polls did. If Romney is going to win, chances are he'll have taken me with him by that point.
Romney's big boost in the first debate more than anything was his move to the center. That won big bonus points from me and I imagine a lot of people. Romney was finally passionate about his Massachusetts moderate roots, something we had not seen from him since 2006. I used to like him before he ran for President the first time.
There's another big truth in the debate that came out in obviousness. I don't care what you, far right hacks, or far left hacks are going to say about it either. The truth is
Romney and Obama agree on more issues than they disagree. Romney is going to leave 99% of the healthcare bill in place and Obama's tax plan after grinding through Congress and public scrutiny is ending up going to look exactly like Romney's after grinding through Congress and public scrutiny. The question is: who will be more effective in getting it done most efficiently?
Ernest (another sensible member of the board) has alluded to this before and I agree with him: the biggest problem facing this country is the gridlock of divided government. Our credit rating was downgraded not because of the national debt itself but because of a lack of faith that our Congress as result of the ridiculous debt ceiling debate. The Republican Party is simply too obstructionist in Congress when out of power in the Presidency. Therefore, there's only two solutions: a moderate Republican President to knock them in line or the Democrats taking control of Congress (because of an Obama landslide).
Before the first debate, Romney looked far too weak to make the first solution a possibility and the second option of the Democrats taking back Congress seemed feasible. Now? It's looking closer. However, I'm still lean Obama because really Obama hasn't done anything wrong in my eyes. If he is, then I can't vote for Romney either because it will be the same result. The question, again, is who has the best opportunity to
do it.
If Obama and Biden win some debates, or more appropriately, Paul and Mitt show up at the debates trying to pander to the right again and not looking at all reasonable then Obama will be back in landslide territory. If Paul impresses too and Mitt continues to impress, then it will be obvious that the people to vote for are the Republicans and I will cast my ballot accordingly.
