Both Mitt Romney's demeanor and lines of attacks were unchanged last night from his first debate performance. But all the talk is about Obama's comeback. The president showed much more grit and fire in his second match with Romney, finally acting like the charismatic orator and spirited competitor he is.
The Los Angeles Times says Obama presented a clear choice between his policies and those of his opponent.
"President Obama bounced back in Tuesday's presidential debate with a focused and forceful presentation nothing like his neurasthenic performance in his first encounter with Mitt Romney. That's obviously a relief for Obama partisans, but the president's articulate defense of his own policies and his detailed dissection of his opponent's also served the electorate in general by bringing sharply into focus the fundamental differences between the candidates."
The New York Times editorial page agrees. "The contrast with the weak and failed ideas that Mr. Romney proposed could not have been clearer. The president noted that he had signed legislation that increased pay equity for women; Mr. Romney not only refused to say whether he would have done so, but condescendingly said he had hired many women when he was the governor of Massachusetts and had given them flexible schedules."
Since the president was unable to mount a stalwart defense of his policies in the first debate, the Christian Science Monitor notes his success this time around, though it acknowledges Romney was able to do the same.
"Obama framed the election as a choice between two very different ways forward, and charged his opponent as a flip-flopper on energy, women's issues, immigration, and taxes. Romney gave as good as he got in his attempt to frame the election as a referendum on Obama's job performance."
Even conservatives admitted Obama did much better. "One of the things I think is clear is if the president had performed like this in the first debate, Mitt Romney would never have been able to get back in the game the way that he did," said Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, speaking to Politico.
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