American presidential debate 2012
By R M Austin
After the first debate in Denver, Colorado about two weeks ago, the supporters of President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party were in a state which could only be described as mourning. Many thought the first African-American President had given the game away by his uninspiring performance. I saw the effect this had on his supporters and admirers I know best: the members of the Caribbean Diaspora. The Guyanese, in particular, seemed to take it hard. Many were the phone calls and e-mails I received, seeking to find out why Obama had been unable to put the elections beyond Governor Mitt Romney’s reach by turning in a good showing at the debate in Colorado. And when Romney, in the following days and weeks, seemed rampant in the polls, many of my most respected friends and colleagues, some of whom are well known Guyanese politicians, were prepared to write Obama’s political epitaph. But as things turned out at Hofstra University last Tuesday evening, all the talk of Obama’s political demise was greatly exaggerated.
Anyone who has read Obama’s books, especially The Audacity of Hope, would recognise that he is a very competitive politician. And the person who appeared on stage with Romney last Tuesday evening was not only competitive, but was positively determined to make his case for four more years in the White House. Even though the evening began with Romney fielding the first question (unlike the first debate questions were asked by undecided voters in the audience)
