Opinion> Bill Oreilly> Missed Opportunities

	15 Jun 2013 Who's Your Daddy? With Father's Day on Sunday, there is good news and bad news. First the negative: Single mothers head up … Read More.
	8 Jun 2013 The Heat Is On So, last Saturday I'm back on the ball field coaching my 9-year-old boy's little league team along with three … Read More.
	1 Jun 2013 A Wrong Against the Right Once again, graduation time is upon us, and a new study by the Los Angeles Times says plenty about the state … Read More.

Missed Opportunities

Here's the good news for Mitt Romney: In the first two debates, he established himself as President Barack Obama's equal on the events of the day. The governor is well versed on the issues and has shown a mastery of both foreign and domestic policy.

Here's the bad news: He has failed to pin down the president on his obvious policy shortcomings.

As someone who makes a nice living debating on television, I watch the president and the governor go after each other with a professional eye. And I can't understand why Romney doesn't close the deal. Three examples:

First, when Obama says his energy programs are helping the nation, all Romney has to do is keep it simple and ask: "Why then have gas prices more than doubled on your watch, Mr. President? That doesn't sound like good policy to me."

Second, the president continues to say he has created millions of jobs. But all Romney has to do is retort: "So what? The average income for working-class households in America is down almost $5,000, Mr. President. Workers are getting hosed, and your policies are at fault."

Finally, number three, the Libya deal. This is crazy. There are just two vital questions, and Romney has not asked either one: Who pulled two American security teams out of Libya in August despite the concerns of slain Ambassador Christopher Stevens? Who ordered U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and White House spokesperson Jay Carney to mislead the world about what happened?

If the president doesn't know, he looks incompetent.

If he does know and won't say, he looks corrupt. If he does answer the questions, Romney wins just by asking.

The problem with many politicians when they debate is that they cram so much information into their heads in anticipation of spitting it out there that they don't actually listen to what their opponent is saying. In any debate, simple is best. State the facts clearly, and ask obvious questions about your opponent's weaknesses.

Romney has a big advantage over Obama in the debates because Obama has to defend a record that contains some massive screw-ups. Nobody really cares about Romney's record in Massachusetts, and he could easily pettifog any specific questioning of it.

But with the economy sluggish after almost four years, four dead Americans in Libya, and Iran still chugging along on the nuclear weapons highway, the president has a good deal of Ricky Ricardo 'splainin' to do. But the governor has not put him on the spot in a precise enough way.

Next Monday, Romney will have one final chance to pin the president against the rhetorical wall. The foreign policy debate opens up Libya big-time. If Romney wants to win, he'll keep it simple and demand some answers. Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" and author of the book "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama." To find out more about Bill O'Reilly, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. This column originates on the website www.billoreilly.com.

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

Comments

3 Comments | Post Comment

Yeah, Obama has political weaknesses, but they are all typical of incumbents (except for one). The problem for Romney, which is not typical of challengers, is nobody can figure out what his policy is on just about anything, except that he is pro-business (whoopee), speaking of splainin to do.

Sorry to observe an unpleasant truth, but speaking of the one atypical political weakness of the President, if Obama wasn't half African, half of Romney's low- or no-consciousness "conservative" base would be non-existent, and there would simply be no contest here. Despite that immense handicap for the President, Romney still can't do better than neck and neck. That is pretty darn pathetic.

Comment: #1
Posted by: Masako
Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:05 PM

Report this post

I've seen Romney call Obama out on all these things. Bill thinks that if people knew what a terrible job Obama is doing, they would magically wake up and vote against him. This is simply not the case. Either people know what a bad job he's doing, but think Romney is worse or they are drinking the mind numbing kool aid and think Obama is doing a great job. Either way, there is nothing Romney can say that will automatically win him the election.

Comment: #2
Posted by: Chris McCoy
Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:44 AM

Report this post

The fact is, Obama will win. The Repes and washed up commentators like O'Reilly and his fellow travellers have offered an utterly pathetic alternative.

One can at least follow the logic of Obama. One cannot do that with Romney. He has eviscerated his own stances on just about every important issue with his own subsequent reversals, and made a vote for him nothing better than a spin of the roulette wheel as an alternative to a president who can at least articulate a consistent and rational argument to support what he has been, and plans to continue, doing.

Anyone with a brain and a memory pretty much has to come to that conclusion.

Comment: #3
Posted by: Masako
Wed Oct 24, 2012 8:19 PM

Report this post

Already have an account? Log in.