US elections 2012: The first presidential debate – reactions of the media

The first of three debates has finally happened and it was evident that Mitt Romney had found his bearings while Barack Obama appeared to be in some sort of quandary. The world media had been waiting to watch the live performances of both the candidates on stage and draw their own conclusions on who is better.

A summary of a few selected media like BBC, Fox, Guardian and Telegraph are given below for ready reference.

BBC – at the end of the 90-minute duel which dealt with taxation, the deficit and healthcare, Mitt Romney looked to be far ahead of Barack Obama. The polls gave the Republican 46-67 percent margin while the Democrat was at 22-25 percent.

The general perception of observers was that Mitt Romney appeared to be in command and, Barack Obama was hesitant in his approach and took longer time to finish his talks.

A CNN/ORC International poll of 430 persons who watched the debate live showed 67 percent thought that Romney was superior compared to only 25 percent for Obama.

A CBS news poll showed a mixed feeling - 46 percent supported Mitt Romney, 22 percent for Barack Obama and 32 percent looking at it as a tie.

A Google survey showed 47.8 percent in favor of Romney and 25.4 percent for Obama.

Foxnews – Both the candidates went all out to appeal to the middle-class voters who would most likely decide who they want to see in the White House.

Romney had come prepared to take on Obama and he made full use of the statement of vice President Joe Biden who had said in North Carolina – ‘under the president’s policies, middle-income Americans have been buried.’

On stage, Mitt Romney appeared to have decided to be more aggressive on the stage and went on to say that the present path (to create more jobs and reduce unemployment) is not working and the time has come to look for a new path.

Telegraph (UK) – here the feeling was upbeat about the chances of Republican candidate occupying the White House.

This comeback from the edge is seen as positive indications for Mitt Romney who had been written off by many as a 65-year-old grandfather and a dull candidate – however, on stage in Denver, he showed much greater enthusiasm than his 15-years younger rival. In contrast, Obama appeared to be lethargic and disengaged and many have concluded that the charms of Barack Obama have worn off.

CNN – the outcome of the first of three debates shows the Republican challenger Mitt Romney as the clear winner with the incumbent President Barack Obama trailing way behind.

The first 30-minutes on stage was the tone-setting exercise and it belonged totally to Mitt Romney – he was at ease, appeared to be confident and also fluent in all things.

Obama was, however, slow in his replies, and cautious – the observers got an impression that he was tense and shaky.

There was also surprise on why Obama did not dwell on the leaked video in which Romney had talked about a group of 47 percent - that would have put Romney on the defensive. But Obama did not take that route.

In the opinion of CNN, at the end of the night, it was a win for Mitt Romney – he stood on equal footing in a 90-minute debate with the president of the United States.

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