Here is a transcript of Ed's first reaction to tonight's debate, speaking to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow:
"I was disappointed in the president. The president - he had an opportunity tonight - he created a problem for himself on Social Security tonight, he agrees with Mitt Romney. Everybody liberal in this country knows that Mitt Romney wants to privatize Social Security down the road and to do a deal with the devil on that would be a wrong thing to do. I think the president created a big problem for him tonight - for himself. I don't think he explained himself very well on the economy. I thought he was off his game. I was absolutely stunned tonight. Rachel, you just mentioned about time -- the president needs to get in and fight for that time. There's people out there that expect him to fight for that time."
Later, Ed said this:
"I was in front of a crowd last night in Denver, Colorado, and I know that they're stunned, I can feel it. I mean, the president tonight was disappointing when he allowed Mitt Romney to talk about $716 billion in Medicare and the president did not come out and explain it and go after it."
Ed added:
"[Obama] was not properly prepared for this tonight. He was afraid to call out Romney because he didn't want to look angry. The fact is that he has faced obstruction - he was afraid to use that term tonight, he wouldn't go down that road. He was afraid to use the Ryan plan as a manifest of what these people want to do to this country. It was playing soft, I mean [Obama] was in prevent-defense big time."
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