New Jersey political insiders gave their candidates the edge on the final presidential debate. However, most believe President Barack Obama will be the consensus winner over Mitt Romney among national media outlets.
According to a Patch flash poll sent to elected officials and political party insiders in New Jersey, 17 out of 19 Democrats responding believed Obama was the victor, while 16 out of 18 Republicans declared Romney the winner.
“Gov. Romney's executive capabilities were on full display,” one Republican insider said. “This will energize the voters and clearly demonstrated that he will return America to being viewed as being professionally run as a business and ALL Americans are its clients.”
Democrats were also impressed with their candidate.
“I think this performance was strong enough to give him a few more votes in OH and possibly put him over the top,” one Democratic insider said.
The results of the flash poll saw political insiders stand more firmly along party lines than in the first two post-debate polls. In the first post-debate Patch poll, 100 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats believed Romney was the winner, with 70 percent of respondents agreeing that Romney would be declared the consensus winner among media outlets. After the second debate, 89 percent of Democrats declared Obama the winner and 83 percent of Republicans gave the win to Romney, with 70 percent of respondents believing the media consensus win among media outlets would go to Obama.
In Patch’s third debate poll, 78 percent thought the consensus win in the national media would be given to Obama.
Some Republican insiders were irked by Obama’s tone during the debate. One Republican said the moment that would stand out in the minds of swing voters from the foreign policy debate was “Obama's rudeness, sarcasm and disrespect towards his opponent.”
However, some Democrats believed Romney failed to show himself a strong leader on foreign policy issues. One Democrat said the moment that would stand out to swing voters was “Mitt Romney agreeing several times that Pres. Obama is right on foreign policy.” Another Democrat said what would stand out from the debate among liberals and progressives was “Romney's simplistic understanding of foreign policy, i.e. ‘we have fewer ships today.’”
Want to weigh in yourself on who won? Vote in our poll.
Patch Red and Blue Garden State surveys were sent to 190 Democrats and 145 Republicans. If you are an elected official or party leader and would like to be included in future surveys, contact Associate Regional Editor Jacklyn Corley at jacklyn.corley@patch.com or Regional Editor Mike Pignataro at mike@patch.com.
Wow is this how the Republicans see the citizens of the United States? As “business clients” of the government? That is so insulting on so many levels. This again is where I question what they teach in those private schools the rich republicans seem to go to because in public schools they still teach what Lincoln so perfectly said when honoring all who gave their lives for this great nation, "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. .......It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Lincoln Gettysburg Address I guess someone forgot to tell the "Bain Capitalist" and the "Rich Republicans" that the president serves the people, the people don’t serve the president. Insinuating the people are his clients is a complete insult.
GALLUP: R 51% O 46% Enough said
So, an insider made the "clients" comment...now, exactly how does that translate into the candidate insinuating that the people are his clients? Do we really need to rehearse all that Obama has said and insulated about people that don't agree with him? You know, the ones that are so pathetic that they need to cling to their guns and religion. I guess he never learned how to treat people with a little common decency when he was at his private school. I'm sure puffing on all that weed in the Choom Gang didn't help his social skills either.
I am standing for election in this District (NJ 3) for Congress, as the "Democratic-Republican" candidate - which is the historic party name of the party of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and JQ Adams. Democratic-RepublicanParty.org explains all. You will be hearing all about this in the news in the next day or so, but we've actually proven the Republican Party failed to "poll" in the primary, and, as such, does not meet the "major party" standard to qualify for a ballot line. This wasn't even close - of the necessary 267000 votes to be cast, they fell 52000 votes short - btw, that's the total support they garnered in all districts/counties in the State....205000, of 2.67 MILLION voters in the 2011 Assembly. Article the First, as ratified, mandates Congressional Districts be no larger than 50,000.