Dolly Moye Photos
Rochelle Bradley: “I wanted him to fight.”
Fifty New Haveners in the heart of Obama Country gathered to wait for the president to take on Mitt Romney Wednesday night. They ended the night still waiting.
If there was any evidence needed that Democrat Barack Obama fell short in his first presidential campaign debate against Republican Romney, it was here at this “viewing party” at Newhallville’s Knickerbocker Club, one of New Haven’s most venerable African-American community social clubs where Obama’s election as the first black president was a vindication of decades of striving. This, as much as anywhere, is Obama’s base.
The hope of the event was to inject some campaign energy into the base. Instead, the base ended the night deflated. It wasn’t much of a party, even though the crowd remained committed to voting for Obama.
DeStefano (with Wearing): Romney “kept it simple.”
Almost everyone at the party, besides Mayor John DeStefano, former Democratic Town Chairwoman Susie Voigt, and some aldermen, was black and politically engaged.
The gathering at the Sherman Parkway clubhouse remained quiet throughout the the 90-minute debate. Hardly an occasion to cheer or call out. Romney didn’t win any votes here, of course, but Obama won few cheers.
While charged-up Romney seemed perhaps overly excited to attendees, they kept waiting for President Obama to take him to the woodshed. Waiting, and waiting.
When the debate turned to health care, and Gov. Romney stated that Americans would face huge bills under the Affordable Health Care Act, aka “Obamacare,” President Obama responded, “If you’re 54 or 55, you may want to listen to this.” And he looked into the camera, the Knickerbocker crowd for one time let out pent-up whoops and laughs and applause.
When moderator Jim Lehrer asked Romney to give details in how his own alternative health care plan would work, Romney began,“There will be no changes for current retirees.” The room gave off a collective grumble and began to buzz. “He’s not answering the question.” “Of course — you got money!” “What is he talking about?”
When Romney began to advocate introducing private insurance industry competition for Medicare dollars, and referred to those who may not be able to pay for the plan as “our poor,” the room began to grumble again.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about. You’re off script!” said an exasperated City-Town Clerk Ron Smith. “Awwww.” And people cheered when the president said, “If you’re for more regulation, then you should vote for Gov. Romney.”
That exchange stood out as much for its passion as for its contrast with the rest of the evening.
Most of the evening, Rochelle Bradley, a 60-plus-year-old communications retiree, watched intently, rooting for Obama on. At the end of the night she expressed disappointment. “To be honest, they were both all over the place. It seemed the moderator lost control,” she said with a shrug.
“But Romney lied about all the stuff he’s been saying. He changed everything!” Bradley continued, raising her hands in the air. “But Obama tried to stay on point. He wouldn’t fight as much as I wanted him to.”
“I wanted him to be a lit-tle more aggressive,” she said squeezing her eyes shut and and making the squeeze sign with her thumb and index finger. “Romney was talking over the president, dominating the whole conversation.”
“I wanted him to fight”.
Some on their way out called Romney a “bully.”
The top officials past and present spoke more about the substance of the candidates’ remarks than the stylistic boxing-match score.
“Romney focused on how bad things are, and tried to make his argument about change simple,” observed Mayor DeStefano, sitting next to Knickerbocker stalwart Melvin Wearing, New Haven’s first black police chief. “Romney focused on how bad things are and tried to make his argument about change simple. President Obama said, ‘Wait a minute,things are more complicated than this.’”
“Obama clearly won,” Wearing claimed. “I like all his policies. [I like that he’s] working with the middle class. … That ‘top down thing’ that Romney’s for …” Wearing then shook his head. “I’m voting to put [Obama] back in another four years.”
Schools Superintendent Reggie Mayo (pictured with parking authority chief William Kilpatrick) gave Obama “a B plus.”