Romney did well, both in his performance and in the perception of it in the usual places. He is up in the betting markets and most commentators who actually get listened to suggested he outdid expectations (which is what the media cares about).
At the same time he lied horrifically and repeatedly. He only came across well by misrepresenting both his and Obama's positions, something that could hurt him in future adverts and debates. He also obviously knew he was doing well and so got cocky and aggressive after the first few minutes, feeding the perception of him being arrogant.
You could see this on the Intrade markets. Obama started around $7.20 and dropped to the low/mid $6 range in the first few minutes of the debate before rebounding. By his closing statements he was back up to $7, although he has dropped again now that people are reacting to the post-debate spin.
Obama was obviously tired and didn't seem to be particular polished. Probably distracted by other events and didn't dedicate much time to debate prep. He was in professor mode for the vast majority of the debate and didn't make many (if any) attacks. I think it would have worked better had Romney not been so willing to completely ignore the truth on absolutely every point.
Overall, "win" to Romney and he should see a minor bounce, but with any luck the media and campaign narrative will hammer on his lies stopping any further gains or momentum out of this.
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Topic: American Election Megathread - It's Over (Read 770127 times)