By Alex Thorne
The reviews are in and the unanimous consensus is that Mitt Romney trounced Barack Obama in the debates. There’s no doubt that Romney was going to come prepared for a fight. What shocked me about last night’s debate was how badly Obama performed. We all know that Obama has no real answer for his dismal performance on the economy, however you’d think he would have been more effective in delivering the typical DNC talking points. What you’ll find when reading the articles below is the overwhelming conclusion that Obama was completely out of his league last night. After last night’s decisive win by Romney, it is clearer now that Obama hasn’t the ability, the ideas or the leadership skills to move this country forward. Republicans must redouble their efforts to get Mitt Romney elected in November.
Below are just a sample of articles from a wide variety of news outlets analyzing last night’s debate.
Presidential race reset, Romney backers say
Dogged by criticism from his party and by flagging poll numbers in key swing states, Romney pulled off a clear victory in the first debate Wednesday night, according to several polls, besting President Obama by a wide margin.
Romney energizes campaign with feisty debate performance
Mitt Romney energized his campaign for president Wednesday night, charging out of his first debate having, by most accounts from both sides of the political spectrum, dominated President Obama in a standoff for which he was evidently well-prepared.
On the whole, Mitt Romney looked like a guy who wants to be elected president tonight, and Barack Obama looked like a guy who wants to be left alone. There is a way for each of them to get his wish. Tonight doesn’t mean that will happen of course, but it probably does make it a bit more likely.
Analysis: Romney seizes the story
He (Romney) didn’t just score wins on the margins, holding his own against the president; he won big. Since the question of which candidate did better in a presidential debate was first asked by Gallup in 1984, no candidate has ever scored more than 60% on the question, until Wednesday night, when 67% of the voters in CNN’s post-debate poll gave Romney the edge.
Californians Watch, Think Romney Won
Even more importantly — particularly in what is considered a ‘Blue’ state, where not surprisingly significantly more Democrats watched the debate than Republicans — it was striking that 48% thought Romney was the clear winner.
Romney Wins Debate Praise as Obama Is Faulted as Flat
The immediate reaction to Wednesday night’s presidential debate was a torrent of criticism directed at President Obama, with Republicans, as well as many Democrats, accusing Mr. Obama of delivering a flat, uninspired and defensive performance.
Six reasons Mitt Romney won the first debate
A CNN/Opinion Research poll released after the debate showed 67 percent of viewers thought Romney won, while just 25 percent said the same of President Obama. And a CBS poll showed 46 percent of undecided voters said Romney won, compared to 22 percent who said Obama won.
Snippy Obama, Whose Heart’s Not in It
It was not so much that Romney was great, though he was smooth and personable, but that Obama was not. The president appeared snippy, his eyes flashing angrily during those infrequent moments when he looked at his opponent, his lips pursed and upturned when he looked down — which was often — as if he were trying to smile despite sucking on a particularly unpleasant hard candy. Republicans on Thursday morning were calling it a smirk, but it was more than that. There was, in the expression, a mixture of annoyance, impatience, and dislike. Either Obama couldn’t stand looking at Romney, or he decided it was a better debating tactic to not even deign to consider him and to address hapless moderator Jim Lehrer and the audience instead of his challenger. The dynamic was set early on: Romney looked at Obama, and Obama looked down or at the moderator. His words appeared equally downbeat.
Romney goes on offense, forcing Obama to defend record
An energetic Mitt Romney launched a series of attacks against President Obama here Wednesday night, calling into question the president’s record on the economy, health care and the deficit, and arguing that he would take the country in a fundamentally different direction.
Obama the debater: Making Jimmy Carter look awesome
Bewildered and lost without his teleprompter, President Obama flailed all around the debate stage last night. He was stuttering, nervous and petulant. It was like he had been called in front of the principal after goofing around for four years and blowing off all his homework.
First presidential debate: Obama hit with left hook on TV, online
Left-leaning commentators hit President Barack Obama hard on TV and the Internet after the first presidential debate in Denver on Wednesday night, saying GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney handily defeated his more experienced opponent.
Mitt Romney politely cleaned Barack Obama’s clock Wednesday night in the first presidential debate. A lethargic and at times tired looking President Obama was out-hustled, out-facted, out-energized, and out-informed by the former governor from Massachusetts.
Contra Costa Republican 