The early results of the on line polls indicate that about 70 percent of the people thought that Romney won the debates. I don’t know how significant that a big win in the on line electronic polls are. I remember that similar electronic polls showed that John Kerry won his debates only to lose the election decisively. Perhaps the polls suggest that the race will tighten up. If the swing states move even a few percentage points towards Romney, the election might be close.
The electoral map at RCP showed a big lead for Obama before the debates. I would guess that Obama’s lead has narrowed slightly since the debate.
Romney came to the debate with changes to the way he is articulating his position, if not actual changes to his position. He seemed to catch Obama off guard. Obama kept attacking Romney positions that were no longer there. Consequently, Romney appeared better.
Romney’s statement that the top one percent would do well regardless of whom was president and therefore there was no need to give them any help was well received as was the statement that he wanted to help the middle class. By helping the middle class get more jobs at higher salaries, Romney reasoned, the tax base would expand and more revenue would follow.
A tighter race means that the candidates will have to sharpen their positions and re-think their policies. A tight race is good for the country.