Romney was very strong and polished. But he promised everything without specifics. Obama was too passive, but he was more specific about the issues. I think Romney probably gained a bit of ground from this overall.
Agree. Not sure Obama was that much more specific for future plans beyond his current policy. Some take-aways: Obama was drowning during the tax discussion -why didn't he mention Romney's personal tax bracket and his offshore accounts etc? Seemed he left some red meat on the table there. Romney: Not much I would change if I were his coach. He brought his "A" game. Bill Maher summed up Obama's performance well @billmaher "I can't believe I'm saying this but maybe Obama does need a teleprompter. Next debate: Obama will be more aggressive and on the offense. He will talk more to the camera directly and will work on his "optics". He needs to take Romney's own words and use them against him. Romney would kill big bird! If he doesn't, he may lose the election.
I agree with most of that, but I think the substance of the debate will alter the perception about it some as well as the MSM chews on it. There weren't any gaffs. Mitt looked much more moderate than he has, but what he said sounded less plausible and I think that will be an ongoing subject of discussion. Obama scored a lasting point with the lack of specifics criticism. I agree that Obama didn't get too specific about his future policy, but much of it is on paper to refer to. Romney doesn't have that. Mitt didn't reinforce his negative stereotypes, and I think that was his biggest win. I do expect Obama to come back swinging harder, but not much. He likes to play it cool. Three debates like this and it will be a close election.