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Impact of contention at round two of presidential debate

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    Did aggressive tone turn off voters?

  • Duration 5:00
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She's a chance at the moment I'm still speaking my and the answer is I don't believe people that are hesitate to guess I'd gotten that was -- the question okay that was a statement.

I don't think the American people believe that.

Fallout from the in your face face off which.

As you just saw there got pretty heated at times so what did the combative nature of last night's showdown due to both candidates.

And electability quotient and what impact will this aggressive second debate have on the race for the White House.

Joining us now for a fair and balanced debate Mary Katharine Ham editor at large of hot air dot com also Fox News contributor.

And Simon Rosenberg president and founder of and the end it's a leading progressive think tank he's a former Clinton Campaign advisor as well.

We brought you both on because you have differing views of the debate last night not -- Katherine do you think it was essentially a draw.

I mean I think it was always going to be more contentious because in the first debate only.

One side was fighting as as many men on the left has said they think Obama was always gonna come the table with more this time be more aggressive.

I think Romney relies less on like ability than Obama does I think there's more risk for him.

And coming after somebody -- an -- but yeah I do think it is mostly driving you see in post.

Post debate polling a slight winds for a -- on the top -- that when you look a little bit lower on issues like the economy in -- the CNN and CBS poll a double digit lead.

For wrong and how he handled that and the debt which it those are really important issues and I'm not today a narrow second debate when overcomes the.

It's.

-- -- -- -- you wrote that you don't think Mitt Romney showed himself to be a strong leader last night you think he hurt himself with his performance.

Yeah I think on balance this was a very important night for Barack Obama you know he clearly one in every snap poll.

He made its case on the economy and foreign policy that he didn't do very well in the first debate.

And it was important for him to get his argument out there to voters trying to make up their mind.

But I think the biggest thing that happened last night was that some of the more promising areas for Mitt Romney.

The economic engagement the -- Libya engagement and the perception of him being strong and effective as leader.

All took hits last night I mean Brockton a lot of damage I think -- -- economic.

Argument -- that Libya thing was an incredible fumble.

And it's really going to be less much harder I think now for the Republicans to use that in the next few weeks.

The closing part of the election and I think his performance from his performance last night was simply just not as good.

As the first debate he looked confused at times he was angry I thought he looked a little tired.

On the air and I think you know a lot of the strength of Romney got out of that first debate was the strong performance wasn't -- arguments it was the perception of him.

And that took a little bit of -- hip last night so I don't think it was a good night structurally from Enron.

-- we'll talk about that Mary -- because you just said that the snap polls show that Mitt Romney won the economic arguments write anything if -- stumbled so badly on the economy 11 wonders what -- would believe would have looked -- not -- if you hadn't stumbled.

-- perhaps would have been in you know triple digits but I do think that that the snap polling shows that in fact that message is getting through the -- a couple long answers the two minute segments.

Where he was able to lay out what he would do with a tax plan where he made a pitch to the middle class I think it was very fluid those are some of the strongest moments.

On Libya -- do you think you walked on -- ready shouldn't have Candy Crowley has sent sad.

-- he had a point on that and I think the fact that we're gonna talk about Libya for another couple days leading up to the next debate which is foreign policy.

Does not bode well for Barack Obama because he does have to deal with the fact that for two weeks they were misleading on -- -- and they had intelligence within 24 hours that they were telling us what we heard a lot of.

Talk about the economy last night Simon I mean Mitt Romney made the point that the five million jobs that -- President Obama is talking about having been created in his term.

Basically is only enough to keep up with population growth it's not a stellar record the -- Look I don't think Barack Obama is telling the American people that he's had a home run on the economy I think things were really bad they're clearly getting substantially better.

And they're clearly much better than when he took office in the country is clearly more prosperous and think we're much.

Better off after four years later and I think what's gonna be a major factor in this final few weeks is that.

There is now a slew of economic data that's come out in the last couple weeks showing the economy is substantially improving.

You know we've had the unemployment rate come down housing -- huge housing number today.

The deficit itself -- 20% smaller than it was.

Last year and so I think the president's going to be able to say that look this has been a rough road like you said -- I've just been a rough road.

Things are getting better the Romney plan will take us backwards it is and where we want ago.

And I think that even though last night and I'm 100 Mary -- that he may have won some of the economic.

Engagements in the overall polling Mitt Romney is not winning the economic debate -- the president.

And I don't think last night was enough to ultimately to change that as we -- pending some final weeks one more Mitt Romney has to win that to win the election.

We have one more debate ahead we'll see what that one does for this race Mary Katharine Ham and Simon Rosenberg.

Thank you both.

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