Obama Explains His Debate Performance

      His verdict: he was just too polite.

      "Below is a transcript sent out by the Tom Joyner Morning Show:

Well, two things. I mean, you know, the debate, I think it’s fair to say I was just too polite, because, you know, it’s hard to sometimes just keep on saying and what you’re saying isn’t true. It gets repetitive. But, you know, the good news is, is that’s just the first one. Governor Romney put forward a whole bunch of stuff that either involved him running away from positions that he had taken, or doubling down on things like Medicare vouchers that are going to hurt him long term.…And, you know, I think it’s fair to say that we will see a little more activity at the next one.
 

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/10/obama-debate-polite_n_1954559.html

      That sounds like a decent synopsis to me. What I like most is that it seems to show that the President gets what his task is going forward-to nail Romney for those things he said at the first debate that he didn't take advantage of then.

      Interestingly, Huffington Post suggests this may be a bluff:

      "This could very well be a bluff on the president's part. For all the talk of Obama failing to push back hard enough against Romney in their first debate, his favorability numbers did improve after the fact, suggesting there are some benefits to not engaging too hard."

      "That said, Democrats are predisposed to devolve into emotional distress at the first sign of political trouble, instinctively rushing to plot out their post-election moves to Canada. With Obama currently facing an enthusiasm gap against Romney, he may very well find it necessary to not just soothe these concerns but get his base charged up again during the next debate."

      I think this is the first analysis that suggested that the President actually gained from not engaging. It's not clear that this helped his approval rating, but I have noticed that they've actually spiked up at Gallup the last few days. At this point at the Gallup poll, the President has a 53-42 approval-disapproval rating.

      I said Thursday morning the President's strategy was at least defensible-running out the clock, prevent defense, etc. After all, he had no memorable gaffes, no unforced  errors, nothing. Indeed, it's actually Romney who had some gaffes, most notable being his announcement that Big Bird is getting the axe.

      Nevertheless the President did take this strategy a little far. He had to confront Romney a little at least. It sounds like he understands this going into the debate coming next Tuesday. Let's hope so.