Posted on 10/13/2012 4:01:29 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The first debate between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was an even bigger win for Romney than it appeared at the time. That's what the polls are telling us.
The Oct. 3 debate, it seems, prompted swing voters to take a second look at Romney, and it also boosted Republican voters' resolve to get out and vote.
A presidential election that once appeared to favor Obama is now razor-close again, and heading toward an unpredictable finish.
Four national polls released their first post-debate findings this week. The Pew Research Center reported that Romney had moved into the lead among likely voters, 49 percent to 45 percent. The Gallup Poll reported that Romney held a narrow lead, 49 percent to 47 percent. The Rasmussen Poll, which sometimes appears to favor Republicans, was kinder to Obama this time; it reported a tie at 48 percent each. And Reuters/IPSOS reported a tie at 45 percent.
The usual words of caution apply: These numbers are fallible snapshots of public opinion, not predictions of election outcomes. All polls come with a margin of error; the Pew survey's margin of 3.4 percent means that Romney's apparent 4-point lead could be either an even-larger advantage, or a virtual tie.
But when four major polls move in the same direction, it's no mirage. The Romney campaign found new momentum in last week's debate, and Obama hasn't yet stopped it. Moreover, the Pew poll included fascinating data that suggest some of the reasons for Romney's advance.
One was a swing toward the Republican candidate on the issue of jobs, a word Romney used over and over in last week's debate.
When Pew asked voters which candidate would do better on jobs, 49 percent named Romney against only 41 percent for Obama....
(Excerpt) Read more at timesunion.com ...
Unless they let him use his TelePrompTer®.
If things really start to look bad for Obama in the last two weeks before the election, expect to hear the media start saying “Are the American people going to be able to live with themselves if they allow the 1st Black President to be a 1 termer?” That’s their last race card in the deck, and it will be played.
Unless Obama finds 30 points to add to his IQ by next Tuesday evening I don’t see how he’s going to hurt Romney all that much.
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