Will The 3rd Debate Change Anything

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Tuesday, 66 Million people watched the Town Hall, down from 67 million the first debate. And Monday night is the foreign policy debate. Will any candidate be able to land a knockout punch on the other? Because right now, I think the President will need it more than Governor Romney. Even if one of them does perfectly, is it too late for it to matter because 96% of Americans have made up their minds?

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

This election is so close a knockout by either candidate could change the tide. I think we are much more likely to see Obama deliver one than Romney considering it is a foreign policy debate.

[RogueBeaver]

I doubt the needle moves much either way unless someone faceplants, which I consider extremely unlikely.

[Horus]

The media will probably declare an Obama win if the debate is even, but despite that, Romney will be up about 2 points on election day.

[cavalcade]

I doubt the needle moves much either way unless someone faceplants, which I consider extremely unlikely.

We are dealing with Mitt Romney here.  Otherwise, this.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

The media will probably declare an Obama win if the debate is even, but despite that, Romney will be up about 2 points on election day.

Relying on the media to do something has notoriously inconsistent results.

[Eraserhead]

The first debate was a must-win for Romney. The second debate was a must-win for Obama.

They've both proved themselves now, so I'm not sure if this one will matter that much. Plus, it deals with a topic that won't determine the votes of many people in this election.

[Maxwell]

I think Obama needs a knock-out punch, Romney needs a tie.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

This debate will be interesting.

There's an extremely delicate balance for Romney to strike here. You can't appear to be too partisan about international crises, but at the same time, there are legitimate concerns about how some of these events have been handled.

So Romney has tons of potential to go either way. He could faceplant, or he could really strike a chord. Obama's potential, on the other hand, is a lot more limited.

[Likely Voter]

If the poll Q was "Change Anything" then yes, but "knockout punch" no.

[Skill and Chance]

Yes, but only if someone says something really stupid.

Obama: "Al Qaeda is not a terrorist organization."

Romney: "Frankly, there are millions of Americans who deserve to be unemployed."

Either of those would decide the race instantly.

[Phony Moderate]

Probably not barring a major gaffe or zinger.

[BringinTheTruth]

The media will probably declare an Obama win if the debate is even, but despite that, Romney will be up about 2 points on election day.

Relying on the media to do something has notoriously inconsistent results.

You mean like when the Obama team relied on Candy Crowley to throw the Benghazi issue into the confused ethos of issues lost because they were erroneously decided???

[yourelection]

I doubt the needle moves much either way unless someone faceplants, which I consider extremely unlikely.

Faceplant! I love it, but you are absolutely right.

Both candidates could very well play it conservatively. No risks and hope the other side blunders or faceplants :-)

That is of course if both side feel comfortable where they are in the polls. If one side is uncomfortable they might be more willing to take risks.

I am predicting that they will both play it safe.