There is no question that Republican challenger Mitt Romney won the first Presidential debate, as far as speaking goes. He was clear, articulate, and assertive, unlike the tired nature that Obama presented himself in. Governor Romney came out with his fists ready, and he threw many punches. However, a great deal of his punches were solely rhetorical and not roote in fact. His “5-step economic plan” consists of  becoming energy-independent by 2020, increasing spending on education, making consequences for nations that “cheat” when trading –Romney all but states that the Chinese are criminals –  cutting the deficit and balancing the budget, and increasing small business throughout the country. Romney also states that there will be tax deductions across the board to go along with his save-all plan. Sounds ideal.

But just think about it: how can the deficit be reduced when Romney plans to implement $5 trillion in tax cuts, and increase military and education spending? The answer is simple: the deficit can’t be reduced. According to simple logic, as well as the results from a Tax Policy Center analysis, Mitt Romney’s plan is mathematically impossible. The algebra simply does not work. Romney’s plan would necessitate higher taxes on the middle class. And yet, he stood up on the stage in Denver last week, touting his master plan and claiming it to be the only route left for America to take, and people believed him.

Worse than lying about his policies is the fact that Governor Romney rarely divulges any information about them at all. His health care reform consists of putting the $716 billion “cut” from Medicare (in reality, not a cut but a slow in Medicare’s growth) back into Medicare and making the system voucher-based. Beyond that, no knowledge is known. Why go with an unknown policies over a good, bipartisan policy that could provide health care relief for millions of people throughout the nation?

Mitt Romney and the entire Republican party has make a big deal of “looking at track records.” They point out all of the supposed shortcomings of Obama, including Obamacare (which is strangely similar to a Republican-proposed health care system of years past) and the President’s refusal to implement the Simpson-Bowles economic plan (even though Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan voted against it as well). They then look at Mitt Romney’s record in Massachusetts, pointing out that Massachusetts has the #1 rated school system in the nation, has a rising economy, and has a good health care system throughout the state. However, if one decides to take a closer look, they’ll see that all of the policies that worked for Romney are strikingly similar to the policies that Obama is proposing and trying to implement. The only difference is that Romney got bipartisan support for the betterment of his state, while Obama faces fierce competition from Republicans who have stated that their only goal is to see Obama out of office as quickly as possible, no matter the detriment it may cause to the nation as a whole.