Reviewing Debate #3

Debate #3 brought a feistier Obama, however this description is relative.  A less feisty Obama would have been an unconscious Obama.  My observations of last night's third debate was that Romney was virtually unchanged from the first debate - cool, collected, articulate and presidential.  Obama was augmentative and interrupted often even though he received more time than Romney.  Obama would not answer the questions that were asked of him.  Was his energy department's role to keep energy costs low? How much did he cut drilling rights on federal land?  Did he call Benghazi a terrorist attack the day after?  Obama was asked these and other questions but refused to answer.

While both sides claim victory, the truth was more neutral.   Both scored a few points.  Both botched a few answers.  I call it a draw - all that Romney needed.  I switched to MSNBC briefly just to see their reaction.  Chris Matthews was calling it an overwhelming Obama victory.  I had the sense that he had written his statement earlier in the day.  FOX was more balanced.  Some called it a narrow Obama victory, others believed Romney won. 

Of interest were the focus groups on both FOX and MSNBC.  Both claimed to have gathered undecided likely voters.  FOX added that each person had voted for Obama in 2008.  Surprisingly, both focus groups indicated they were swayed by Romney, and both groups did so by a substantial margin.  So give the debate to Obama.  It appears that remaining undecided voters are looking for a reason to not vote for Obama.  That means that Romney wins.