AP
The first presidential debate was dubbed do-or-die for Governor Mitt Romney. This morning, it sounds like he did "do" it.
By a 2 to 1 margin, uncommitted voters said Governor Romney won last night, according to a 500-person instant poll by CBS News. Many of the headlines across the country this morning suggest the same: The Washington Post, "Romney Goes on Offense, Forcing Obama to Defend Record." The Los Angeles Times, "In Position to Surprise, Romney Has Sharp Answers in First Debate. The Denver Post, "Mitt Romney Comes on Strong Against President Obama in University of Denver Debate." Earlier on the TODAY Show, Obama Senior Adviser David Axelrod admitted that Governor Romney gave a strong performance last night - adding that it was just that, a "performance." Moments later, Romney Senior Adviser Ed Gillespie called Romney's "performance" a "fact-based critique of the failure of President Obama's policies."
Others, including BuzzFeed, note that last night may have been the pivot to the center that had long been expected of the Massachusetts Governor following his primary win.
Today on NOW, we'll take a look at how Governor Romney's words last night compare to what he's been saying about those topics on the campaign trail. Was there a major switch in the Republican nominee's positions last night, or did he take advantage of the debate's estimated 50+ million viewers to get fresh consideration among those critical undecided voters.
PANEL
Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown U./msnbc Political Analyst (@michaeledyson)
Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NBC News Political Analyst
Dan Rather, Anchor, AXS TV’s “Dan Rather Reports” (@danratherreport)
Hugo Lindgren, Editor, The New York Times Magazine (@hugolindgren)
GUESTS
James Lipton, Host, “Inside the Actor’s Studio”
BULLPEN
Savannah Guthrie, Co-Host, TODAY/NBC News Chief Legal Correspondent (@savannahguthrie)
