The first presidential debate between Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama has come to an end, and the political commentators have begun to chime in. According to pundits and reporters across multiple publications, Romney's surprisingly animated performance cast his campaign in a more reasonable, believable light; meanwhile, Obama's soaring oration was sorely missed. Although these debates do not often sway the vast majority of voters, the GOP candidate may see a bump in national and statewide polls. Latinos Post has rounded up reactions from several respected news sources, found below.
"It looked like Romney wanted to be there and President Obama didn't want to be there. The president didn't bring his 'A' game. - CNN contributor James Carville
A CNN/ORC International poll of 430 people who watched the debate showed 67% thought Romney won, compared to 25% for Obama."
"Romney sought to cast himself as a capable and affable alternative to the sitting president and looked to establish himself as presidential in a major opportunity to reach voters in a side-by-side setting at the University of Denver.
Obama, for his part, cast his Republican opponent as elusive in specifying just how he would cut taxes without adding to the national debt, or what form his own health care reforms would take."
"Mitt Romney raised Republican hopes of an election comeback with a spirited and aggressive performance that forced Barack Obama repeatedly onto the defensive in the first presidential debate.
Most debates have little impact on the eventual outcome but there have been exceptions, such as the 1960 one and that between Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000. While this one will not go down as comparable game-changers, it will at least change the growing perception of Romney as a loser, even if only temporarily."
"The two men who discussed the future of the country for an hour and a half in prime-time television looked nothing like those caricatures that have been presented by ideologues. Both men came across as reasonable, competent and, yes, presidential.
But that sense of command presence accrues more to the benefit of Romney, who remained somewhat unknown to many voters before the debate, than it does to Obama, who was already seen as likable by many voters, including many of those who don't agree with all his policies."
"Neither candidate delivered that knockout blow or devastating line that each side was hoping for. Still, style points went to Mr. Romney, who continually and methodically pressed his critique of Mr. Obama. The president at times acted more as if he were addressing reporters in the Rose Garden than beating back a challenger intent on taking his job."
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