US Election: Polls Show Romney Won TV Debate With Obama

US Republican candidate Mitt Romney won the first of three televised debates with President Barack Obama, polls and analysts say.

After the 90-minute duel centring on taxes, the deficit and healthcare, polls gave Mr Romney a 46-67% margin with Mr Obama trailing with 22-25%.

Commentators said Mr Romney appeared in command while Mr Obama was hesitant.

Mr Obama has led national polls and surveys in the swing states that will decide the 6 November election.

The BBC’s Mark Mardell says if the gap narrows or Mitt Romney starts moving ahead of Mr Obama, that will be a huge boost for his campaign, and suggest he could win the White House.

However if they hardly budge, then the Republican challenger will be in deep trouble, the North America editor adds.

Stopping slump

President Obama appeared hesitant, occasionally asking moderator Jim Lehrer, of US public television network PBS, for time to finish his points.

The two candidates attacked each other’s economic plans, with Mr Obama describing his rival’s approach as “top-down economics” and a retread of Bush-era policies.

“If you think by closing [tax] loopholes and deductions for the well-to-do, somehow you will not end up picking up the tab, then Governor Romney’s plan may work for you,” he said.

“But I think math, common sense, and our history shows us that’s not a recipe for job growth.”

Mr Romney derided Mr Obama’s policies as “trickle-down government”.

“The president has a view very similar to the one he had when he ran for office four years ago, that spending more, taxing more, regulating more – if you will, trickle-down government – would work,” Mr Romney said.

“That’s not the right answer for America.”

Mr Romney pledged not to reduce taxes for wealthy Americans, and said Mr Obama had misrepresented Mr Romney’s tax plans on the campaign trail.

Both camps rushed to defend the respective performances.

“The average person at home saw a president who you could trust,” Obama adviser David Plouffe told reporters. “That’s what the American people are looking for.”

But senior Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom said the president had spoken “only in platitudes”.

“If this were a boxing match, it would have been called by the referee,” he said.

Commentators largely agreed that Mitt Romney had performed better.

BBC