The Town Hall Debate--Just an Effort to Brand the "Alpha Male?"

Last night was the second presidential debate.

The format of the town hall setting is quite frankly, lame.  It is so phony how the candidates must learn the questioners name, it is so pointless to have a moderator (unless of course, absolute clarification is needed.  Right Ms. Crowley?) It is so ridiculous to watch the casual walking, one leg up on a stool and the talk show-esque walk with a microphone.  Nauseating.

Here we have one of the closest most life-changing elections in history and we had to watch these two candidates parade around a stage circling each other like lions in an attempt to declare who was the real alpha male?  Please.  It was obnoxious.

Image from CBS News

On an side note, is really it true?  Are there really still undecided voters?  If someone is somehow still "undecided," someone should check for a pulse.  These candidates could not be more polarized opposites of each other.  Their vision for America could not differ more starkly.  And their resumes could not set them apart any more.

This isn't like someone have difficulty choosing between two Slurpee flavors.  Does an undecided really think that like a Slurpee, the end result will still be a refreshing, flavorful experience regardless of which flavor is selected?

They are wrong.  It won't.

These are two very different men with two very different ideologies.  Choosing one over the other will undeniably set our country on two very different paths.  We will be feeling the shock waves of this election outcome for generations.

This election matters.  This election will affect our future.  This election will impact our livelihood.

That said, there were a few things that became clear last night.

The president came out strong--but like it or not, so did Mitt Romney.  The president hit a few over the fence--but like it or not, so did Mitt Romney.  Although immediate polls reflect that the president had a stronger debate performance and was able to save his campaign from free falling, the crucial fact remains,  Mitt Romney's hammering of the president's dismal record was devastating.

And that will resonate long after the debate soundbites have stopped.

Image from CBS News

What did the president fail to do?  Defend his own record and articulate why the outcome of the next four years would be any different than what he already tried and failed to accomplish.

Last night, the president had a chance to sell us on how his vision for the future will actually help us at this desperate time---he didn't.  Rather, he just attacked his opponent.  The president missed a real opportunity to present a specific plan to help thousands of struggling businesses to keep their doors open---he didn't.   Rather, he incessantly focused on his one big ticket item: "Getting the wealthy to pay a little more."  But he neglected to articulate how the future in America will be brighter if he can just get the wealthy to pay a little more.

Sorry Mr. President, would raising taxes on 2% of the population even cover the cost of Obamacare?

The president did not offer one detail to explain how he will stop his yearly $1 trillion of debt accumulation--an unprecedented amount of money.  He did not promise to balance the budget.  He did not pledge to stop overspending---(30 cents of each dollar spent by our government is from borrowed foreign money).

Image from NPR

There was no explanation how his second term would stop millions of Americans from continuing to slide into poverty.  No explanation how his policies will help more people get off Food Stamps.

Obama offered no plans to address bipartisanship or how he will bridge the hostility between our political leaders.  No plan to help rivals find compromise.  No plan to bury hatchets.  No plan to stop blaming.

Believe me Mr. President, we were waiting for those points, waiting for those details, but those promises and assurances never came.  We noticed.

Let's be clear, we aren't looking for an Alpha Male, we are looking for a leader.

Image from Slate.com

Over and over again, Mitt Romney described the president's record in brazen detain: 1-in-6 Americans slid into poverty under Obama's watch---$16 trillion was added to the deficit---23 million Americans are still searching for work---millions of homeowners continue to lose their homes---the economy growth has now slowed to a pace that is lower than it was even a year ago---gas prices have doubled---median income has dropped $4300 per family---promised immigration reform never happened and

So what had the biggest impact last night?  Mitt Romney reminded Americans that it all happened under this president's watch.

It was powerful and it won't be soon forgotten.

We deserve better.  A recovery is supposed to feel like a recovery and Mitt Romney artfully demonstrated that real recovery simply requires real leadership and real skill---something the president's record shows that he lacks.  More time in the oval office can't make up for that.

It is time to recover.  It is time to get it right.  It is time for a comeback.

It is time to put our broken and fragile economy in the hands of an individual who built his career on fixing the broken, resuscitating the bankrupt and enabling small businesses to reach their potential.

America needs Mitt.