Is Anyone Else Angry that Pres. Obama Didn't Show Up For His Debate? Weren't the Stakes High Enough For Him?

When Chris Matthews went ballistic with fury after the first 2012 presidential debate, I chuckled to myself. I could hear him yelling on MSNBC from the bedroom, where I had crawled off to bed.

On the Daily Show, Jon Stewart said, "Pres. Obama broke Chris Matthews." 

He truly did. Chris Matthews was foaming at the mouth after Pres. Obama's poor performance in the first debate.

Now I'm just as mad, having seen Romney's improvement in the Ohio polls. There's a lift to Romney's chin and a lilt in his short, jerky steps as he continues to joyfully flip-flop on the issues to court moderate voters.

It's hard to remember that Romney chose slash-and-burn conservative Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. Ryan's the guy who wants to voucherize Medicare and shred the safety net for the elderly, the handicapped, veterans, the unemployed, and the working poor.

I wonder which Mitt Romney would become president, the moderate who created Romneycare, now Obamacare, a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act, or the conservative, tax-evading multimillionaire corporate predator who would hand out even more largesse to his fellow predators on Wall Street if the Romney/Ryan ticket wins in November. I'm personally afraid to find out. The stakes, especially for women, the elderly, the handicapped, veterans, the unemployed, and the working poor are high.

Ohio is a critical swing state. Historically, candidates don't win the presidential election if they can't carry Ohio. Despite Obama's poor performance in the first debate, he still leads Romney there, 51% to 47%. Without women's support, Obama would be in even more serious trouble. Women overwhelmingly support Obama in Ohio. Men tend to favor Romney by a comfortable margin, 56% to 42%, but women prefer Obama by a much larger margin. Only 38% of Ohio's women support Romney; 60% prefer Obama. Independents split almost down the middle, with a small lead for Obama.

The Republican war on women has left its mark. Being barefoot and pregnant is not what all of us want all of our fertile lives, believe it or not. There's nothing wrong with being barefoot and pregnant unless you're forced to be against your will. Under a Republican president, a Republican majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, and a Republican majority in the U.S. House and Senate, would women be better off or worse off? I don't think there's any doubt that we'd be worse off.

For example, why should a girl or woman in the United States who is the victim of incest or rape be forced to bear the child of her rapist? That's what Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri wants, even if the woman's life is literally in danger.

The Christian Taliban isn't as bad as the Islamo-fascist Taliban, but sometimes the Christian Taliban in America do a weak and sorry impression of the acid-throwing lunatics who disfigure teenage girls for daring to go to school in Afghanistan. The Christian Taliban is a trend in the wrong direction, that's for sure, and Ohio women know it, especially single women.

Obama isn't perfect. We know that. He called Peggy Agar, a TV news reporter, "sweetie" on the 2008 campaign trail in Michigan, put off her question, and then failed to call on her at his next press conference as promised. She called him on it and went public:

"This 'sweetie,'" Agar noted acidly in her broadcast report, "never did get an answer to that question."

Despite his professed habit of calling women "sweetie" (you'll notice he didn't call then Sen. Hillary Clinton "sweetie" when he debated her), Pres. Obama at least votes the right way on women's issues like equal pay for equal work and women's health issues. His policies are moving in the right direction.

On National Public Radio I heard a story about the women soldiers who survived combat officer boot camp and could do the drills. As soon as rape stops being part of the job as commanders wink at sexual offenses by both officers and enlisted men, I'm sure more women will enlist and stay in the military.

No, Pres. Obama isn't perfect, but he's a step in the right direction. However, he'd better show up for the next two presidential debates. No more looking down and taking notes. No more submissive boy taken to the woodshed. No more silences and scripted, repetitive responses. James Carville is correct. We need you to bring your A-game, Mr. President, to your next two debates with Mitt Romney. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for us.