You're watching...
Former Bush senior adviser breaks down key moments in the first debate between Obama and Romney
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
-- Karl Rove was -- during the debate to heat treated.
-- apparently spent too much time shooting baskets not enough time practicing.
So we look at Twitter universe is saying tonight but the key question.
What do you think the undecided voters think Colorado joins us.
-- those who are at least for watching.
Well look what we're likely to see a bump out of this not much of involvement a little bit of a -- the first debate.
Is the most important in the debates and it typically the winner of a gets a point point to have two points out of the debate in and close race like this have matters.
But to step back for just -- what really matters is the -- of the narrative of all three of these presidential debates and to a much lesser extent the the vice presidential debate and so it's not over tonight but it was a very strong start for Mitt Romney.
In fact it was an astonishingly good start for Mitt Romney and a very bad start for the incumbent president United States.
You know and looking net feet putting uterus which certainly is not scientific study but and sort of measuring the response on another vast social media it seems to me that the one thing that governor Romney did get tonight it's very important which as a reverse effect on President Obama is he get a lot of enthusiasm -- and people really fired up on the Internet and people on the other side of the the political spectrum seem to be you know they -- -- throwing.
Got -- -- showing President Obama right under the bus.
Right bullet that's result of sort of four important dimensions of this debate first is first and most important is.
Is in this debate I think Mitt Romney succeeded in portraying himself as -- looking.
He got the chance to lay out more -- -- about his plan for jobs the economy.
Tax reform.
These things all gave him a chance to serve flesh out who he was.
And and what he would do as president and it made him a look reasonable and practical and it was reassuring this is exactly the process that happened in the nine to 11980.
Debate between Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan Reagan simply made himself.
You know reasonable and sensible and affable and reassure the American people and it was up to the job the second thing is is -- -- -- -- Romney was aggressive Obama was defense if the president was.
Always on the defense in part because he didn't seem to have a plan for what he wanted to achieve that and tonight.
But rob rob me also put him on the defensive by being aggressive about not only indicting him you saw some of and -- that.
In that excellent piece of footage you just showed.
Note saying.
You know you do Romney gets criticized for you know tax break for well oil companies -- -- responds to present -- -- wait a minute.
I don't I'm not a favor that we could do -- -- that but just remember you gave five times that amount of money.
Two green energy companies that went belly up so he's very good about not only had died in Obama but -- but also very aggressive -- questioning him and -- -- the issues spectrum.
And and -- it is the third item was tone in this is probably the most important ball.
President Obama came across his.
Try to avoid looking at Romney Romney right from the beginning was looking at the president.
And the president was not looking back and it just it was just -- -- is the wrong tone on the other hand.
-- was presidential he had humor who -- we had a sense of humor you know I've got five boys so I'm used to -- -- people say things that aren't true and hope that all eventually believe them.
You know you're entitled Mr.
President your own -- you're your own house but you're not entitled to your own facts I mean he was actually pretty -- -- And and it was it I think an -- -- side of him and finally this total bipartisanship.
This is a moment where you need to become president and I thought in 2008.
Barack Obama did an especially good job of saying look -- -- -- be the president of everybody not the president red states Blue States but United States.
And tonight Romney in a different way very practically voice it -- gonna work together with Democrats Republicans I had to when I was governor.
Most of the people -- -- legislature where Democrats we met every Monday but I thought it was a very effective presentation in that regard so there's a reason why you take all those things combined.
Together and end and -- Obama's supporters have every reason to be upset tonight and president Romney's have every reason to be it is.
I want tomorrow the sun comes up we'll have all fact checking done on everything and tonight we're we're still -- a little bit -- can't sit toll fact check both Candace.
But in terms of that the -- pres Obama supporters.
Their chant heard of one of my colleagues tweeted this he spoke of with leader Pelosi.
And she -- seen a different debate then the rest of the Democrats for -- -- because it's his Pelosi says the defining moment was when Rodney said he would not ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share.
That was -- mean that's a defining moment may have for the third -- leader closer but boy -- -- did that seem like a great night for the president.
Little located when you have let whatever number 40000045.
-- 5055 million people watch and people are gonna make their judgments independent of those kind of comments I thought for example the night.
It's very interesting President Obama was off times wrote it was the talking points so for example one point he said.
Romney has secret plans on jobs the economy and regulation.
And taxes just after -- is spending a lot of time giving the detail on all those being very critical for example a very specific provisions of Dodd-Frank.
And it -- yourself -- sort of fell flat.
That's is saying the president was not nimble.
You know you're right I did tweet that I thought I spend maybe too much time shooting baskets out there in lake Las Vegas resident.
Doing his homework and prepping for the same and we saw when he just sort -- offered up these sort of routine rote talking points things.
That people were sitting there saying you know -- and it just doesn't that they're just doesn't G hall with what I've just seen.
I happen between these two men on the stage.
-- thank you you bet thank you Greta.
-- -- --
