During their 90-minute debate on Tuesday night, President Barack Obama talked four minutes longer than Republican challenger Mitt Romney. But when the debate was over, it was what Obama didn't say that defined the evening - and helped make it a good one for Romney.
In a debate that largely was a mix of campaign talking points and tedious policy detail, the themes that Obama's campaign have emphasized to drive down Romney's approval ratings did not surface.
Obama did not mention Romney's work at Bain Capital, the private equity firm whose role in sending thousands of jobs overseas has been cited by Obama's campaign as it has portrayed Romney as a job-killer.
Obama resisted chiding Romney about the former Massachusetts governor's reluctance to release more than two years of his income taxes. Democrats have questioned whether Romney - who has a fortune estimated at up to $250 million - is hiding something about his finances and why he keeps millions of dollars in offshore accounts.
But Obama's most startling omission was not uttering a phrase that has dominated the campaign for much of the past two weeks: "47 percent."
That would be the percentage of Americans who Romney - speaking at a private fundraiser that was secretly videotaped in May - said were "victims" who are dependent upon government benefits and are unlikely to vote for him.
The video of Romney's remarks, which surfaced last month, was a benchmark in the campaign. Last week, Obama's team released an ad featuring Romney's "47 percent" comment in seven key states, including Colorado, the host of Tuesday's debate.
Many voters say that Romney's comments had given them a negative opinion of the former Massachusetts governor.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/04/us-usa-campaign-obama-debate-idUSBRE8930AW20121004
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