Who Won the Second debate?

[XLFD]

The debate in full is supplied above.  In a town hall format both participants, Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney took their punches.  Media sources almost unanimously gave Romney the victory in the first debate over a president lacking vigor and rigor.  The verdict on this debate is a bit more muddled.  Both came out and landed some punches, but both also had some wayward punches and stumbles.  If you look to the usual news sources they generally back the man who best reflects their bias, which means it was a close debate.

Dick Morris, a Republican leaning correspondent for FOX News, and prior expatriated Clinton aide said:

By scoring big on the economy, gas prices, and Libya, Romney continued his victorious string of debate wins. He looked more presidential than Obama did and showed himself to be an articulate, capable, attractive, compassionate leader with sound ideas.

Obama came over as boorish and Biden-esque. He did not learn from his Vice President's mistakes. When a president gets into a bar room brawl, he loses his dignity and his aura, key assets for an incumbent. Romney was polite but firm. Obama seemed quarrelsome, frustrated, nasty, and cranky.

But the key reason for the Romney win was substantive:

1. Romney made very clear the case against Obama's economic record and Obama's rebuttal about 5 million jobs was pathetic.

2. Romney injected the China issue, big time, and tapped into a strong public sentiment on the issue.

3. Romney made the effective case that Obama is anti-oil, coal, and gas and that this has doubled gas prices.

4. Romney was very effective in differentiating himself from Bush-43 and in establishing that, unlike the GOP of the past, he was for small businesses not big businesses

5. Romney rebutted the attacks on him over Chinese investments.

6. Romney explained his tax plan well and to everyone's satisfaction.

7. Obama erred in trying to make us believe that he always felt Libya was a terror attack. We all heard him blame the movie.

Obama scored points over the 47% statement by Romney, immigration, and by his response to the accusation that he went to Vegas after the murder of the Ambassador.

But this debate goes to Romney. It seals his momentum and will lead to a big win.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/10/17/romney-won-second-debate/...

And  left-leaning  pollster John Zogby perhaps makes the most lucid argument for Obama winning:

But Obama was on fire tonight. When asked what he has done in his first term that argued for a second term, this time Obama was prepared. “I did what I said I would do.” He cited health care reform, ending American military activity in Iraq, an exit strategy for Afghanistan, 5 million jobs when he inherited an economy that was losing 800,000 jobs per month, reined in Wall Street excesses, saved the auto industry, and cut taxes on the middle class and small businesses. He followed by saying that Americans should listen to Romney’s commitments because he will also deliver: a tax pledge that will mean insufficient revenues to grow the economy, cuts to Planned Parenthood, and a repeal of Obamacare. In response to Romney’s Five Point Plan for growth, Obama said the Governor had only a “One Point Plan”: “the rich will be allowed to play by their own rules”.

But Obama particularly crushed Romney on immigration. He did correctly point out that his GOP opponent said several different things about the Arizona immigration law and “self-deportation” than he is saying now.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnzogby/2012/10/16/obama-wins-testy-s...

But who do you think won an/or scored the biggest at the Hofstra debate?  These guys were asked before the debate actually happened, showing they didn't want to look stupid, but wound up looking a lot worse:

[Willy]

Nice article X. Unfortunately I didn't watch the debate. I know who I'm voting for and watching this debate will only make my blood boil because almost every sentence  out of Obama's mouth is a lie. I can't stand listening to him because of the way he talks down to us while thinking what a bunch of fools we are.

[XLFD]

I must admit my interest in Verlander pitching the Tigers into a three game lead over the Bronx Bombers superseded my interest in this debate.  At first, I would check the debate out during commercials, but after the second inning, I kind of forgot that policy. 

Thanks for admitting your own known lack of objectivity in the debate.  I am still trying to sell myself on Romney, as I know I will not vote for Jimmy Carter Barack Obama.

[Brian Carlson]

Obama did 99% better than he did in the first debate, but Romney was still the winner. Romney was telling the truth about Libya and they doubled up against  him.

[XLFD]

I can almost guarantee you that many in the so-called mainstream media had the 'comeback' and 'Obama wins debate' headlines already written beforehand, and eighty percent of their story pre-scribed also.  They would have only dropped them if Obama did start snoring somewhere in the debate. 

Obama seems to me to be as disspirited as the Yankees in Game 4 of the playoffs against the upstarts from Romney's home state, and be as big of a clutch hitter than A-Rod was through the series, when he wasn't benched.