Who Won Hofstra Debate?

OK, my take on this debate is that both candidates "came out swinging" this time.  This says a LOT more for President Obama compared to the first debate.   It was more like a "brawl" this time around.  Both made points.  Governor Romney made a mistake (several times) in asking open-ended questions of the President.  In a debate one should never ask a question to which they either a) don't already know the answer to, or b) have not already telegraphed the answer to, leaving your opponent no alternative than to give the answer you expected - that is, if both your expectation and your opponent are honest.

Overall, on substance I believe Governor Romney still "wins" - but in "debate points" I may lean toward President Obama.  The problem is, while he wins the debate points - once the "fact checking" takes place, he loses the actual argument.  For those who just watch the debate and do not watch for the fact checking, I believe there's a slight edge to the President.  For those who do wait for the fact checking, I believe the evidence will be overwhelmingly in Governor Romney's favor.  So, while Obama "wins the night" (barely), Romney actually "wins the debate."  One fact I've already heard verified was where Gov. Romney claimed a 50% drop in drilling contracts - the fact is it's over 60% for off-shore drilling and about 33% for on-shore drilling (Chris Wallace).  To that point, I must add, Governor Romney asked a specific question, "How much did you cut them by?"  President Obama diverted and answered about how much oil is being drilled... he answered a question which Romney didn't ask.

Who Won?
National Journal:  Obama wins debate points - but ultimate verdict is uncertain (in short, a tie).

A "Quick Poll" on Huffington Post says Obama wins:

 CNN says "Obama comes on Strong, Romney holds his ground."  Their poll suggests Obama won, but also conceded that the results were within the margin of error.

The Global Post states that while Obama "held his own" it also says "but Romney didn't lose much."

Foxnews says it's a split decision - Democrats say Obama won, Republicans say Romney won.

The bottom line is, after President Obama's dismal showing in the Denver debate, he needed a grand slam, knock it out of the park victory tonight in order to quell Governor Romney's momentum - and while Obama was more aggressive, Romney stood his ground - or as the Global Post put it, "Romney didn't lose much."  Therefore, President Obama didn't get the kind of win - if there was any "win" at all for him - he needed this time round so I predict that Romney will continue to overtake Obama - and in some polls, he already has.