Leave No Doubt

Five quick impressions of the debate - which in my opinion Romney won.  As Dennis Miller commented "I hope Obamacare has insurance for kicked ass because the President will need it."

#1 - Relaxed - Romney looked considerably more relaxed - several tweeters commented that the President looked "off his game" or unable to work without a teleprompter.  He looked into the camera and Obama looked a bit down, tired and ill at ease.
#2 - Opening Statement and Give and Take - Romney had a focused opening statement with five key points.  When Obama argued that the Governor would be this or that - he had a focused and prepared response.
#3 - The Exchange on Alternative Energy - Romney doubled down on Obama's claim that he was for "energy" independence.  Romney came back with a great sound bite - the money spent on alternative energy could have hired two million more teachers.
#4 - Polling - The CNN flash polling had Romney winning 67-25 on who won the debate.  Romney won the spread on likeability.  Who is likely to vote for a candidate 35-18 Romney-Obama.
#5 - Specificity - Conventional wisdom suggests that these kinds of things should not get into specifics but Romney understood that "wisdom" is wrong.   He looked at Jim Lehrer and said although I like NPR we probably should not be using federal money for funding NPR.

Three other comments - TRICKLE DOWN GOVERNMENT - Whoever came up with the phrase  deserves a raise.  It is a great counter to the idea of trickle down economics. It summarizes the crux of this election. DODD FRANK and OBAMACARE - Romney was skillful in responding to expansions of government that are represented in those two complex bills.  He (Romney) was also able to demonstrate he had experience in working with the opposite party.   Obama could simply say I am willing to hear proposals from the other side.   THE PROFESSOR - The President looked a pedantic professor - Romney looked focused.  The Governor seemed to understand the issues and was able to communicate them.  Obama seemed to constantly stumble.

The election is not over by any means but this could have changed momentum.

One video which takes a line from Joe Biden -