349th New Thing - Watched a Presidential Debate

I didn't have time to post the last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 3 days ago (Wed 10/3/12).

The 2012 Presidential Debate series began on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 7pm at Magness Arena on the University of Denver's campus. The topic was Domestic Policy and was the 1st of 4 debates scheduled, moderated by Jim Lehrer host of "NewsHour" on PBS, and lasted 90 minutes. Since I am alumni, I had the chance to watch the debate on the campus green on a big screen TV, but decided to watch from the luxury of my apartment since it was cold and windy outside. The segments focused on the economy health care, the role of government, and governing.

According to CNN, here are the 5 things we learned from the Presidential Debate:

1. Romney wins by setting the tone
2. Romney holds his own
3. Missed opportunities - Obama didn't challenge Romney on the infamous 47% remark in an attempt to paint the former Massachusetts governor as a cold-hearted patrician with little empathy for the middle class and poor.
4. Body language matters - when speaking, Romney often looked directly at Obama, while the president mainly looked at the moderator or the cameras when speaking, and Obama looked down quite often while Romney was speaking.
5. Chris Christie vindicated

According to KPBS, here are 5 takeaways from the 1st Presidential Debate:

1. Obama Looked Tired And Sounded Defensive
2. Romney Grasped The Mantle Of Bipartisanship
3. You're A Drinking Game Winner If You're Middle Class
4. When Candidates Have The Microphone, They'll Keep Talking
5. Democrats Will Want To Retool For Future Debates

Early polling, including instant-reaction surveys conducted by CNN and CBS News, suggested Romney won the first debate. In a CBS poll of undecided voters, 46 percent gave Romney the victory, 22 percent for Obama and 32 percent called it a draw.

What did you do today?