Obama Strikes Back

Good debate for the President.  Average debate for the Governor, with a few stumbles.  Not sure how it will affect the polls.  I suspect that it will change little and that the president is ahead 290-248 in the Electoral College.

The Governor needs to step up his game for the next debate, as he's shown weakness in Foreign Policy.

V.P. Debate

I listened to the debate live on NPR as I was driving to the airport.  It sounded like Biden was really having his way with a very timid Ryan.  Was he rude, sure.  Was it effective rudeness, yes.

Then I watched the replay on CNN.  V.P. Biden's body language and expressions were terrible.  It was worse than Al Gore's 2000 first debate performance.

On substance, it seemed to depend on the topic.  Biden came across as more caring for those suffering.  Except for one instance, I thought Ryan had him on foreign policy (c'mon Ryan, would you rather put U.S. troops or Afghan troops at risk??).  

I'd say on the whole, it was a tossup.  Probably didn't sway any middle of the roaders and reinforced beliefs for people that have already taken sides.

269 - 269

One can dream ...

It was ..

a good debate last night.  The candidates got a little wonky, which I'm always a fan of.  I agree with the pundits. Governor Romney had the better night.  He was more engaged, energetic, and seemed to want it more.  His main MediCare talking point (which he almost forgot about) seemed to stump the President.  President Obama seemed to struggle at times looking for words (I liked Bill Maher's tweet) and his arguments were soft rather than factual.  It was interesting to watch their debate strategies knowing where they are in the polls.  The President just needs to play defense and make sure he doesn't mess up.  Governor Romney is obviously looking for something big to shake up the electoral math.  The polls over the next week should be interesting in CO, OH, VA, NC, IA, and FL will be closely watched.  I still think he has an uphill battle in OH.  The nature of the economy, the distrust of the rich, and the discomfort that I suspect many Ohioans feel with a Mormon are huge obstacles to ovecome in that state.

I have no idea what to expect next week when Congressman Ryan and Vice-President Biden face off.  Seriously, no idea.