That is why the GOP camp keeps harping on the meaning of “act” versus “acts.” The Republican nominee, who dominated the first debate in Denver, had a much tougher time on Long Island against an opponent who rediscovered all the attack lines he neglected last time.
There is, perhaps, a natural tendency to blame the ref when things don’t go well. That’s why some Obama lieutenants grumbled about Jim Lehrer two weeks ago, as if he were responsible for the president’s sleepwalking performance. It also plays well with the Republican base to beat up on the liberal media.
But Crowley’s single sentence didn’t alter the course of the debate. And after this dispute burns its way through a news cycle or two, voters are going to be left with their impressions of who appeared stronger on that stage–and not care terribly much about the woman who sat between them.
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