Lakhota
Diamond Member
By Sabrina Siddiqui
Sidney Barthwell, perhaps the only former classmate of both Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, thinks the former Massachusetts governor doesn't stand a chance when facing the incumbent president in debates prior to their November electoral contest.
When they debate, Barack will smoke Romney, Barthwell, a district court magistrate in Michigan, said in an interview published by The Daily on Tuesday.
"Mitt Romney is smart, he continued. Having said all that, I still think hes going to get smoked. The best he can do is hopefully come out not looking like a fool. Mitt will find out the hard way as soon as they have their first debate: You dont debate Obama.
Barthwell, 64, was the only black member of Romney's 1965 class at Cranbrook Schools and later attended Harvard Law School with Obama. He identifies himself as being politically independent, has donated money to both campaigns and has "tremendous respect" for both men, he said.
But whereas Obama struck Barthwell as "brilliant" at Harvard -- where the two became friendly while working together for the Black Law Student Association -- he recalled Romney's years at Cranbrook as nothing to write home about. "Mitt was not particularly popular. He was very, very ordinary."
More: Sidney Barthwell, Former Classmate, Predicts Trouble For Romney When Debating Obama