Debate #3

Presidential Debate #2, Hofstra

President Obama definitely did better in his second Presidential debate than the first.  He was more aggressive and tried to take the offensive.  On points some sources are indicating an Obama victory in their second Presidential debate.

Romney, however, was far more persuasive on the economy; an issue that matters more to the few undecided voters that remain.  Moreover, Obama's Libya answer with his blatant assist from the moderator is continuing to unravel as coverage intensifies and Libya emerges as an ever larger blot on the administration's escutcheon.  The President was economical with the truth.  The record shows that President Obama did NOT explicitly call it a terrorist attack as alleged in the debate; he said, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for".  But it is unclear whether this vague generalizing statement was referring to 9/11/01 or 9/11/12.

I also applaud Romney for also raising the issue of Syria where 20,000 to 30,000 people have been killed by that brutal with no apparent response by this White House.

The big political news of the past week, however, has been the polling out of Florida.  According to the 10/12/12 poll conducted by Rasmussen Romney enjoys a 51 to 47 percent lead over Obama in the state of Florida.  This virtually puts FL out of reach for the Obama campaign.  The Southern states, including VA and NC will be a solid block for Romney in November.  Meanwhile, many previously Obama leaning states such as NH, MI, PA and WI are now labelled toss-ups.

Will Romney actually win in PA?  The answer is unclear; the essential point, however, is that the Obama campaign is now being forced to defend regions that they thought were "in the bag".  This provides a tactical advantage to Romney who can now afford to get more aggressive with spending and campaigning in states such as OH and CO.

Rasmussen Reports today reports that in its past 10 national voter poll surveys Romney had led Obama in 7 out of 10 days, Obama led one day and two surveys were tied http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/archive/2012_presidential_election_matchups2.

The depth of anger, frustration and disappointment with the President surfaced in several of last nights voter-initiated questions (e.g. Michael Jones' question: "Mr. President, I voted for you in 2008. What have you done or accomplished to earn my vote in 2012? I'm not that optimistic as I was in 2012. Most things I need for everyday living are very expensive.")  Commander Kelly's prediction: This frustration will continue to bubble until erupting on election day and is consistently underestimated by the mainstream media.

I would call the current debate score 2 Romney / Ryan wins and one tie.  The momentum continues to favor Governor Romney.