The Debates- 2012

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AGDee

However, I wanted to wipe that smug smirk off of Romney's face.

i'm glad I'm not the only one who thought he had that smug smirk way too much.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

i'm glad I'm not the only one who thought he had that smug smirk way too much.

It must be a partisan thing..

Honestly I didn't notice Romney smirking any more than Obama did (when he wasn't staring down ). They were both equally doing it while the other was speaking.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

It must be a partisan thing..

Honestly I didn't notice Romney smirking any more than Obama did (when he wasn't staring down ). They were both equally doing it while the other was speaking.

It didn't seem like Romney's expression ever changed at all.

My other thought on the Big Bird thing is... I posted a Big Bird picture with a caption "Big Bird is Sad" on my Facebook. For the most part, I'm trying to keep my own Facebook posts election/politic free because I don't want to argue with friends and family. That felt like an innocuous way to make a statement though. Making pro-choice, pro-Obamacare, pro-women's rights, pro-gay marriage comments all lead to heated arguments. Big Bird? Not so much.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

It must be a partisan thing..

Honestly I didn't notice Romney smirking any more than Obama did (when he wasn't staring down ). They were both equally doing it while the other was speaking.

Originally Posted by AGDee

It didn't seem like Romney's expression ever changed at all.

Personally, I couldn't tell whether Romney was smirking during the whole debate, or if that's how he looks all the time.

Either way, they were in the middle of a debate - not in Happy Pony Rainbow Land. It's supposed to be aggressive and you're supposed to look like you think the other guy is an idiot.

What I'm curious about is the fact that Obama really never looked at Romney the entire time. Was that because he was stumbling and searching for words, or was that meant to be an insult to Romney?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

Either way, they were in the middle of a debate - not in Happy Pony Rainbow Land. It's supposed to be aggressive and you're supposed to look like you think the other guy is an idiot.

There's a line there, though, or you risk coming across looking arrogant or something else likely to turn off voters you're trying to woo.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

There's a line there, though, or you risk coming across looking arrogant or something else likely to turn off voters you're trying to woo.

Exactly. And I'm not sure either of them excelled in that area.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

It must be a partisan thing..

Honestly I didn't notice Romney smirking any more than Obama did (when he wasn't staring down ). They were both equally doing it while the other was speaking.

I don't know that's it's a partisan thing necessarily. I thought Romney often had a smug smirk, I thought Obama often had an annoyed smirk. At this point in election seasons, I tend to watch things like debates as sport, so even if I'm pulling for "my team," I can also be pretty hard on my team.

It wasn't that Romney was smirking more, it was that AGDee was one of the first people who I heard mention him smirking it all, so my response was more along the lines of "okay, maybe it wasn't just in my imagination."

I frankly think one of the most challenging things about debates like these is looking composed and having facial expressions that respond appropriately when the other guy is talking. Romney did better than Obama, but I still thought Romney could have been better at it.