Has Obama Blown It?

President Obama may have thrown away the whole election with his woeful performance in last week's debate, writes Andrew Sullivan at the Daily Beast. The latest Pew poll numbers show that Obama's lead has been eradicated, with Romney now enjoying a 4-point lead after a 12-point swing. Romney is now ahead in favorability and is even with Obama among women voters after a staggering 18-point shift. "And we are told that when Obama left the stage that night, he was feeling good," Sullivan writes. "That's terrifying. On every single issue, Obama has instantly plummeted into near-oblivion."

"I've never seen a candidate this late in the game, so far ahead, just throw in the towel in the way Obama did last week—throw away almost every single advantage he had with voters and manage to enable his opponent to seem as if he cares about the middle class as much as Obama does," writes Sullivan, who doubts the president will be able to recover. Sullivan is dismayed by the Pew poll, but conservative blogger Allahpundit calls it "the most exciting poll of the last four years." The numbers suggest that more voters have started identifying as GOPers after the debate, and "perennial Republicans are so energized by Romney’s ass-kicking that they may show up in even greater numbers than expected," he writes at Hot Air. (More presidential debate stories.)