Mitt Romney collects his papers after the debate (Photo credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GettyImages)
Over the past day the game tape of the debate has been reviewed. While Mitt Romney still enjoys the afterglow of the debate, the lies and half truths he told are being dissected.
From tax policy to hiring teachers. From cracking down on Wall Street (and Sesame Street) to coverage for the uninsured. From Medicare to shipping jobs overseas the fact checkers have been very busy correcting the record and pointing out falsehoods.
Even Team Romney had to correct the candidate on health care immediately after the debate.
As I predicted earlier this week, Romney had an October Surprise planned for the President – new policy ideas. But I had no idea that Romney would just lie about everything he had said over the past year and a half.
As the President said, Mitt Romney’s bright new idea is: Never Mind!
But there was a moment in the debate that will be discussed in the days ahead that everyone missed until yesterday.
A review of the debate tape reveals that, apparently, Mitt Romney needed a cheat sheet to keep the lies straight.
The rules of the presidential debates are clear about not bringing outside notes and presidents and aspirants have followed the rule for decades.
Video of the first eleven seconds of the debate available on YouTube shows Mitt Romney reaching into his pocket at the moment he is out of view of those in front of him, he used the lectern as a shield, and removing what appears to be folded papers from his pocket.
We see this because the camera that was broadcasting was behind Romney. Those in the audience and the moderator may have been shielded from his sleight of hand, but not the viewers.
Romney then proceeds to unfold the item in front of him.
For those curious if it could have been something else, later video sheds some light on what Romney retrieves from his lectern.
After the Romney and Obama families chat post-debate the President walks off stage, leaving his notes behind for an aide, no doubt.
But not so for Romney. The Presidential challenger goes back to his lectern to retrieve his items. It is clear that the only thing that Romney takes is paper. Not a handkerchief. Not a white flag. Nothing but paper.
So the next question is: what is Mitt Romney’s explanation for the apparent cheating?
Truth! Of course, I could tell that from the initial video...but, I also see Obama telling Romney "You won" after they shook hands at the end of the debate. That last little comment where Romney kind of looks surprised and they both laugh. Not necessarily "fact" by fact standards, but that doesn't stop some people. It only helps Romney to appear so desperate.
Quoting gsprofval:
Upon further review, Romney is not the one who cheated:
LATEST DEBATE EXCUSE: ROMNEY CHEATED BY USING SECRET NOTES
Posted on October 5, 2012 at 3:25pm by Mytheos Holt
Denial is often fingered as one of the first stages of grief, and on some liberal blogs, that appears to be precisely the reaction that is setting in with regard to Mitt Romney's debate performance this past Wednesday night. Having accused Romney of lying because he contradicted Obama administration talking points and attacked moderator Jim Lehrer for letting Romney control the debate, the Left is now claiming that Romney cheated during the debate.
The source of their complaint is a brief moment during the debate where Romney is seen to put his hand in his pocket and pull something out - something that the Daily Kos suspects of being hidden notes.
Photo Credit: Daily Kos
From the diary posted on Kos's website today:
Mitt takes something out of his pocket and tosses it on the podium. It seems as if he maybe using his body to try and screen the movement. It's very fast, the whole thing is over by 0:00:12.
Yes it could be a hanky. But it falls kind of heavy, and stays uniform in it's fold. Plus it is flat. I have never seen a man‘s hanky be so uniform and flat coming from a front pant's pocket. Back pocket, yes, breast pocket in a jacket, yes.. but not the front pant pocket.
He was also wearing make up and to wipe any sweat from his face with a hanky would have taken off his make up. Plus remember that old saying "Never let them see you sweat?" If he was seen to wipe sweat from his brow, the optics would have been very bad ("Obama makes him nervous, he can't stand up to him.")[...]
I'm NOT saying it is crib/cheat notes .. but I am saying it's a possibility. It's also Mitt "I never found a loophole I didn't exploit" Romney, who may have committed a felony on his taxes.
This unfalsifiable theory of malfeasance picked up steam for a little while on other blogs, such asDemocratic Underground and the Daily Beast, before Buzzfeed shot it down - -not only was the object definitely a handkerchief, but there was actual video evidence of Romney using it:
But according to a Romney aide the object was simply a handkerchief, not an illicit list of zingers.
"It's a handkerchief," the aide said simply in response to the post.
Romney can be seen at another moment in the debate using the handkerchief.
Photo Credit: Weaselzippers
Buzzfeed has labeled this faux-controversy the "conspiracy theory of the day," and it's easy to see why. The obsession over the details of how the handkerchief folded, and which pocket Romney took it from show how thoroughly impossible to debunk it actually is, short of having a debate podium camera that could snap a picture of what Romney put down. However, given the amount of time Romney spent looking directly at President Obama, even when he (Romney) wasn't the one speaking, it's difficult to see how he would have used such a list, and even more dubious that he would have needed such a list.
Give me a minute and I'll go look. I only know because it was discussed when I was in college (Poli Sci major)
Quoting gsprofval:
Where did you find this information for the rules. I looked for the rules for this particular debate and nothing was said about having notes.
Quoting Mommy_of_Riley:
No. The rules have been (since 2000 I do believe) that the candidates can not bring in any notes, graphs, charts, or any other help during debates.
They are allowed to take notes though.
Quoting gsprofval:
From the presidential debates I can remember, the candidates have always been allowed to have notes and to take notes during the debate, so Romney didn't do anything wrong.
Perhaps obama should have used some notes, but that wouldn't matter with his record the past 4 years.
I looked at all the video people posted online an he wipes his face a few times with the white "paper" he put on his podium... I don't think he's using paper to wipe his face with. LOL!
Face it.....Obama's arrogance got the best of him. Just like his supporters complained about in Chicago and just like others that are now discovering.......Obama screwed up. Get over it and move on.
I looked at all the video people posted online an he wipes his face a few times with the white "paper" he put on his podium... I don't think he's using paper to wipe his face with. LOL!
Yeah, but don't people usually pull out their hankies as needed? Unless Romney has a sweating problem, why take out a hanky in anticipation of needing to wipe sweat off his face?
Have you ever seen him, hanky at the ready during any other public appearance? Did he take out a hanky and put it on the podium when he went onstage to accept the Republican nomination for President? Any time someone does something different than they usually do, you have to ask why.
Obama: NSA secret data gathering 'transparent'
- nanaofsix531
on Oct. 5, 2012 at 3:34 PM