Politics: Romney's Big Night

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Politics Romney's Big Night The first presidential debate was Mitt Romney's best moment so far. Will it last? By John Dickerson Posted Thursday, Oct 04, 2012, at 06:29 AM ET When Barack Obama entered the debate hall at the University of Denver Wednesday night, the air was clear and warm. When he left, the winds where whipping and the temperature had dropped 20 degrees. Coincidentally, that was also the same number of undecided voters who thought the president had a good debate. In two different polls of undecided voters by CNN and CBS, Obama received grim reviews. In the CBS poll, 46 percent thought Romney had done the better job. Only 22 percent thought Obama prevailed. In the CNN poll, 67 percent thought Romney had performed well. Only 25 percent could say the same of Obama.  In another poll conducted with a group of "Wal-Mart Moms" in Las Vegas, Romney also scored high. His image climbed 20 points, while Obama's moved just 5. Many of the women had "somewhat tuned out Mitt Romney," according to the findings reported by a bipartisan polling team. "After seeing him this evening several are now re-engaged and want to learn more about him. They were somewhat disappointed with President Obama's performance. They do not believe he made the case for how another four years will be different or better." Instant polls are a small sample and they only take a momentary impression, but that's all the Romney camp needed. Going into the debate Romney was on the long end of three bad weeks. Romney's advisers were looking simply for a pause in the race—a moment for voters to take ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate What Losers Look Like The Beauty of the Airline Baggage Tag Are You Going To Vote? Do You Promise?	Advertisement
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