RAM PRODUCTIONS INTERNATIONAL
  • Home
  • How We Can Work Together
  • About Michael Russnow
  • Actor/Personality
    • Sample Reel
    • 2014 Sample Reel
    • Michael Russnow Does Stand-Up
    • Water Into Wine
    • The Time Tree - Older Alex
    • Actor's Slate - One Minute Version
    • Actor's Slate - Four Minute Version
    • Interview on Stanley Dyrector Show - Part One
    • Interview on Stanley Dyrector Show - Part Two
    • Interview on Stanley Dyrector Show - Part Three
    • Interview on Stanley Dyrector Show - Part Four
    • Michael Russnow Speaks Out Episode 1
    • Michael Russnow Speaks Out! - Episode 2
    • Commentators Shouldn't Say Trump Has Pulse of America
  • Huffington Post Articles
    • Business >
      • Abolish Tipping
      • AIG Reverse Stock Split
      • AIG Plummets: Stock Split
      • Asus Computers
      • AT&T Doesn't Communicate
      • Bernard Madoff Swindled Everyone
      • Citigroup Reverse Split
      • Citigroup to Reverse Split
      • Horrible Banking Experiences
      • Is Shelly Sterling Channeling Lurleen Wallace?
      • Los Angeles Parking Meter Signs
      • My GE Dishwasher Tragedy
      • State Controller Has Your Money Available
      • Windows 7 Not As Great As Advertised
      • You Can't Feed Parking Meters
    • Media >
      • Abolish the Electoral College
      • BP Chairman Choice of Words
      • British Nurse Suicide Overblown By Media
      • Ed McMahon's Money Problems
      • Is Media Keeping Trump Alive
      • Los Angeles Times Backtracks on TV Grid
      • Lou Dobbs and His Ilk are Wrong
      • Media Downplays Hillary 3 Million Victory
      • Media Headline Biases
      • Media Inflames Comey Letter Re Hillary
      • Media Mischaracterizes GOP Win
      • Media Props Trump Up, Even When Hillary Wins Debate
      • Media Says Hillary's Not Transparent
      • Media Scare Tactics
      • Media Sensationalizes Obamacare Premium Rise
      • Memo to the Media: Maybe It's Time For a "Spartacus" Moment
      • Obama Asks Pundits Not to Skew Words
      • Obama Gym Workout No Big Deal
      • Obama Promised Change - From Bush and Cheney
      • Obama Would Be Citizen, Even if Born in Kenya
      • Palin Accuses Letterman of Seeking PR
      • What's Happened to the LA Times?
      • White House Gate Crashers
      • Why Does Trump Get More Face Time Than Hillary?
      • Why Media Normalizes Trump
    • Politics >
      • 2012 Iowa Caucuses: Shakespeare Was Right About the Masses
      • 2012 Vice Presidential Debate: Biden Blew Ryan Away
      • 25th Amendment Might Rid Us of Trump
      • Calling for Al Gore
      • Debate 2: Hillary Held Firm, While Trump Lied
      • Donald Trump Comportment: When is Enough Enough?
      • Donald Trump Supporters Are Deplorable
      • Donald Trump Supporters Must Be Stupid
      • Electoral College Support Because Founders Created it
      • Europeans are for Obama
      • French Choose President By CItizenry
      • GOP Senators Continue to Support Trump
      • Has Hillary Given Up in South Dakota?
      • Hillary Beat Trump in Popular Vote
      • James Comey, Legal Moralist or Fool?
      • John McCain No Longer a Hero
      • McCain's Nervous Breakdown
      • McCain/Palin Debate Spin
      • McCain Pulls Out the Heartstrings
      • Obama Accepts Super PAC Money
      • Obama & Clinton Forces, Can't We Get Along?
      • Obama Becoming First Wimp
      • Obama's Decision to Go to Copenhagen
      • Obama First 2012 Debate: Gotta Do Better
      • Obama Has Every Right to Replace Scalia
      • Obama: It's Time to Play Hardball
      • Obama Must Stop Postponing Health Care Law
      • Obama Needs Marc Antony to Get it Right
      • Obama Nobel Peace Prize
      • Obama Second 2012 Debate: Romney Overmatched
      • Obama Third 2012 Debate: He Gives Romney Presidential Seminar
      • Obama Won, But GOP Doesn't Seem to Recognize it
      • Patriotism Not a Republican Virtue
      • Pence Won Debate, Not By Much
      • Political Leaders and Journalists MUST Discuss Popular Presidential Vote
      • Politician/Media Rarely Discuss Americans Preferred Hillary
      • Popular Vote Must Choose Presidency
      • Primary Ballots For Party Members Only
      • Proposition 8 Backlash
      • Redo in Michigan and Florida
      • Religion in Politics
      • Romney Acceptance Speech
      • Rudy Giuliani's Screaming Convention Tirade
      • Ruth Bader Ginsurb's Contempt for Donald Trump
      • Sarah Palin's Appeal is That She's Annie Oakley
      • Sarah Palin's a Right-Wing Gidget
      • Sarah Palin, A Stepford Wife
      • Sarah Palin Is No Dan Quayle
      • Scalia Should Recuse on Gay Issues
      • Senate Refusal to Vote on Scalia Replacement a Sham
      • Should Anthony Weiner Resign?
      • Super Delegates Caved to Obama
      • Trump Is No Populist
      • Trump Name Calling: Why Hasn't it Backfired?
      • Trump Paris Pull-Out, Time To Elect Popular Vote President
      • Trump Performance as President Might Be Best Solution to Change Presidential Election System
      • Trump's Problems Aren't Going Away
      • We've Finally Got Health Care
      • When Does Political Correctness Go Too Far?
      • Will Hillary Have Last Laugh?
    • Show Business >
      • Movies >
        • A Most Violent Year
        • Black Swan a Must See
        • Boyhood: An Engaging Film
        • Che The Movie
        • Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino
        • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
        • Deborah Kerr, Rhymes With Star
        • Defiance
        • The Fighter
        • Good
        • The Hateful Eight Bloated But Intriguing
        • Honorary Academy Awards Ceremony a Travesty
        • Inception
        • Jackie Chan Should Not Get an Oscar
        • Leonardo DiCaprio Deserves the Oscar for "Wolf of Wall Street"
        • Michael Moore"s Where to Invade Next: Documentary or Propaganda?
        • Minority Report and the Oscar Controversy
        • Mitch Reinholt of American Teen
        • Movie Theatre Etiquette
        • Nicholas Hoult of A Single Man
        • Jackie Chan Gets an Oscar?
        • Quentin Tarantino Afraid Aging Will Make Him Out of Touch
        • The Reader
        • Revolutionary Road
        • Seven Pounds
        • Texting in Theatres Is A Blight
      • Television >
        • The Amazing Race
        • Big Brother: Danielle's Stupid Decision
        • Big Brother: Frank Eudy's Ouster
        • Celebrity Apprentice 2011
        • Charlie Sheen's Rant
        • Conan O'Brien's Pissed
        • David Letterman's Apology to Palin
        • David Letterman Gag Didn't Work
        • Do We Need Intrusive Network Logos
        • Glee Message of Tolerance Misguided
        • Golden Globes 2010
        • Golden Globes 2011
        • Golden Globes 2012
        • Golden Globes 2016
        • Hell's Kitchen's Gordon Ramsay
        • I Can Die Now, I've Met Betty White
        • Lost Finale
        • NBC's Decision to Bring Back Leno
        • Political Correctness on TV
        • Racial Advancement on TV
        • Survivor Caramoan: Why Was Erik Reichenbach Ignored by Jeff Probst?
        • Survivor Nicaragua 2010
        • Survivor Redemption Island 2011
        • Survivor: Samoa 2009
        • Susan Boyle I
        • Susan Boyle II
        • Susan Boyle III - The Finals
        • The Amazing Race: Amazing that Brooke and Scott Made the Top 3
        • The Emmy Awards 2014
        • The Oscars 2010
        • The Oscars 2011
        • The Oscars 2012
        • The Oscars 2013
        • The Oscars 2013 Afterthought: Why MacFarlane's Lincoln Joke Didn't Work
        • The Oscars 2014
        • The Oscars 2015
        • The Oscars 2016
        • The Oscars 2017
        • TV Cops Get Away With Murder
        • TV Shows and Films Shouldn't Screw Talent
        • Young Actors in TV Roles
      • Book of Oded Review
      • Chekhov Alive in Hollywood
      • Cutting Meat in Movies and TV Shows
      • Hal Kanter Memories
      • I Never Cried For My Father
      • Perceptionism is the worst "ism"
      • Robert Anderson Has Died
      • SAG Actors Must Remain Strong
      • SAG Negotiations Marred by Clooney and Hanks
      • Ted Lange's Lady Patriot Onstage
      • Trump Bails Out Ed McMahon
      • WGA Strike For Dummies I
      • WGA Strike For Dummies II
      • WGA Strike For Dummies III
      • WGA Strike For Dummies IV
    • Travel >
      • Airline Fees Are Chintzy
      • Airline Service Is a Sham
      • Bitching Can Be Effective
      • Morocco Can Be Intriguing
      • Volcano in Iceland
    • It's Not Easy to Become a Juror
  • My Novel
  • LA Fitness Has Terrible Customer Service
  • Political Correctness Should Be Challenged
    • Contact
  • Sarah Palin Says She's Not Responsible
  • Remedies When You've Been Cheated
  • The Iguassu Falls
  • Getting to Rio
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • São Paulo
  • London Film Award Certificate

From Paris, Obama Scored:

Romney Was Clearly Overmatched

                                                                                                                            The Huffington Post, October 17, 2012


From Paris, no coffee this time, but I did manage to stay up to watch the second presidential debate, beginning at 3 a.m.
Unlike the first one watched in Amsterdam, the president was alert, prepared and seemed to leave Romney mystified
at moments.

And although the CNN analysts, led by Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper, clearly seemed to notice the improvement
(how couldn't they?) there still appeared to be a nagging need on their part to give Mitt Romney his due, even as the
president overpowered him consistently and without rancor, tearing apart false or misleading statements made by the
former Massachusetts governor.

Romney started out all right, calm and earnest with the first questioner, who wanted to know if he would have a job after
college.  But Romney gave no specifics, other than repeating ad nausea throughout the debate how he knows how to create jobs and reduce the debt.  He talked in general terms about more Pell Grants for students, but Barack Obama reminded that there were more Pell Grants during his administration and that we'd gone from losing 800,000 jobs a month to over five million created in the private sector.

Romney's chief complaint was the continuing high rate of unemployment, which nonetheless has slightly come down, and
there was a major back and forth about whether it was better to have tax breaks for everyone.  Romney kept to his mantra
that rich people paying fewer taxes would benefit the country and create more jobs, while Obama said tax reductions for
98% of Americans and 97% of small businessmen were being held hostage by Republicans, who refused to separate the breaks for the ultra rich into a different bill, which surely wouldn't pass.

Through it all, the president was much more confident than Romney, who often seemed a bit nervous and edgy, eyes glazing
as Obama repeatedly challenged his opponent's assertions.  Whether it was on oil and coal production or outsourcing
to China and other countries, the president was in charge of the show.  For example, the former Massachusetts governor said Obama had produced 14% less oil on federal lands, which the CNN fact checkers said was misleading, and that in fact there had been more oil produced than in previous years.

The president responded to Romney's pledge to get tough with China, whose currency valuation was unfairly low and affected our trade, indicating that the valuation had increased eleven percent during his administration.

A tougher Obama let it be known repeatedly when he felt that Romney wasn't telling the truth, and when Romney, seemingly desperate at times, clearly overconfident after the last debate, reiterated yet again Obama's failed economic policies, this time citing the gas price hikes since he took office, Obama responded that the low gas prices reflected the extraordinarily horrid economic conditions existing at the time.  He predicted that under Romney they well might return to a lower price, though due
to the much more dire circumstances of another financial crisis brought on by a continuation of the Bush tax policies.

It went back and forth, but through it all, though Romney occasionally recovered, figuring his repetition of what was apparently still wanting in our economic recovery would score points with the voters, he pretty much never said anything in much detail, except he had a five point plan, but what exactly was it?  He promised tax credits that would somehow help the middle class,
but then Obama brought up the fact that the Republican candidate never quite explained, with fewer taxes coming in and
with expanded payments to the military, how the middle class wouldn't be stuck with the bill?

There were emotional moments, wherein Obama played to his strengths, supporting women through the Lilly Ledbetter
Fair Pay Act, designed to prevent absurd statutes of limitations that prevented Ledbetter from suing over a discriminatory pay issue.  Romney's response was that he appointed a lot of women to high posts when he was governor.  Obama trumped that answer, indicating he wanted healthier women, who would then have a greater shot in the workplace, which segued into a discussion of the merits of his health care act, which he reminded one and all was almost identical to the one passed into law during Romney's governorship of Massachusetts.

And then it got a little ugly, when Romney brought up the Libyan incident, accusing Obama of not seeming to know it was a terrorist act when he spoke in the Rose Garden the day after.  But before Obama could respond, moderator Candy Crowley, who beautifully handled the two men, pretty much shutting them up when their time was over, unlike the previous moderator
Jim Lehrer, interrupted Romney to say that, in fact, Obama had called it a terrorist act, prompting the president to ask if she might say it again a little louder.

Romney caused a bit of a sensation when he accused Obama of shortly thereafter insensitively going off on some fundraising events throughout the tragedy, which piqued the president's anger, as he took Romney to task for challenging his integrity
and concerns as president.

And the president ultimately had the last word, finally getting in Romney's oft-repeated video remarks about 47% of the nation not paying taxes and dependent upon government handouts.  This was a missed opportunity for Obama during the last debate, and he picked an optimum time in the closing moments to highlight those on social security and in the military as hardly the
sort of groups to scorn, as Romney without naming them had.

This was a president absolutely on top of things, and he was particularly prepared.  In many instances, Romney seemed not sure what to say, so he robotically stuck to the points his handlers made sure he had memorized.  Such was the tension that
at the end there didn't appear to be the socializing and felicitous handshakes as before.  What was similar, however, was the need for the media to give Romney false credit, even as it was impossible for them to credibly downplay the president's performance as they'd done two weeks ago.

David Gergen did allow that Obama was "most improved," but nonetheless said that Romney now had two "solid debates" in
his corner and that he had a "better strategy" for this debate.  Is he out of his mind?  NBC's Savannah Guthrie said the two candidates had done equally well.  Wolf Blitzer, though he admitted Obama was much better, criticized the president's Libyan answer and said that Romney missed an opportunity, not at all apparently noticing that Romney appeared shell shocked at
the end.  But how could he or the others?  If they didn't essentially call it a draw and there was no longer suspense, now that
we know what Obama is capable of in the last weeks leading up to the election, in addition to Romney's increasingly tiresome repetition of complaints and a non-specific package of solutions to prove how things would be different, these media folks
would have nothing to talk about.

But, come to think of it would that be so bad?  Thursday, I'll be returning to the States and will watch the final debate, thank the Lord, in EDT during a short visit to South Florida.

                                                  Follow Michael Russnow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kerrloy

                                                                                                                                                            Contact Us
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.