At least last night, Romney did win the debate. Let's be honest there. Obama looked flat and Romney wasn't his weird robotic self. It was not fun to watch at all.
However, there's one thing missing from the debate that would make things horrible. While there were plenty of awful moments, none of them were of the type that make great video. While the optics in the moment were bad, was there anything that you could imagine getting shown over and over again?
Moreover, the "X Said but Y Said" media actually comes to our aid now. The headlines are along the lines of, "Obama, Romney clash on economy" (Seattle Times), "Obama and Romney Tangle on Economy" (NY Times), "Romney attacks Obama on his economic record" (Washington Post). OK CNN went for the horse race but that's what they do. When they show one of Romney's clips, they will feel compelled to add the rebuttal of, "Mind you, Obama's camps say this is a lie because it contradicts all of his campaigning for the last 6 years." It might have looked good in the moment, but I'm not sure how well it will age.
Sure I would have preferred a win or even a closer fight, but this is Romney's first good day in about 3 months. He was due for one. It's been a while so we've all forgotten how it feels. Still though, without a moment that stuck in anyone's mind, I don't know how long the rush can last until the next story happens - and with a job report coming out and Turkey, that might be soon. It wasn't a good night by any means, but it's not the end of the world either.