Though polling after Monday night’s presidential debate showed President Obama as the clear winner, the debate is unlikely to make a significant difference in the election. An average of “snap polls” of debate viewers had Obama winning by some 17 percentage points (including a 30-point win in a CBS News poll). But the topic of the debate – foreign policy – is not a priority for most voters, and Mitt Romney was able to meet the basic test of the debate: appearing as a credible commander in chief.
In further evidence of the split between Republican moderates and conservatives, six moderate GOP state senators – including Sen. Jean Schodorf, R-Wichita – have endorsed Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka. “Hensley has reached across the aisle to work with Republican leadership on a number of serious issues,” said Senate Vice President John Vratil, R-Leawood. “Good policy has always trumped partisanship in his eyes.” But the infighting doesn’t seem to be hurting the Republican Party. As of the first of this month, 782,161 Kansans were registered as Republicans, while 439,639 were registered as Democrats. The difference of 342,522 is a new record high. “The rising GOP numbers trash the idea that all the infighting between moderates and conservatives has undermined party prospects,” Kansas City Star columnist Steve Kraske wrote. “Just the opposite appears to be happening.”
Though polling after Monday night’s presidential debate showed President Obama as the clear winner, the debate is unlikely to make a significant difference in the election. An average of “snap polls” of debate viewers had Obama winning by some 17 percentage points (including a 30-point win in a CBS News poll). But the topic of the debate – foreign policy – is not a priority for most voters, and Mitt Romney was able to meet the basic test of the debate: appearing as a credible commander in chief.
