senior congress iional correspondent dana bash with more on the fireworks from hofstra. >> you may think a debate in front of undeclared, persuadable voters would produce polite performances. >> production is up. >> is down. >> no, it isn't. >> reporter: think again. at times this town hall looked like a schoolyard brawl. >> not true governor romney. >> how much did you cut them back? >> not true. >> i had a question and the question was how much did you cut them by? >> you want me to answer. >> how much did you cut them by. >> reporter: if memorable debates was about moments one here was on libya. >> who was it that denied enhanced security and why? >> reporter: the question conservatives were waiting for, a chance to slam the president for lack security and changing stories on what prompted last month's deadly benghazi attack. >> and there was no demonstration involved. it was a terrorist attack. and i think you have to ask yourself why didn't we know five days later, when the ambassador to the united nations went on tv to say this was a demonstration, how could we have not known? >> reporter: the president threw down the commander in chief card. >> and the suggestion that anybody in my team would play politics or mislead when we've lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. that's not what we do. that's not what i do as commander in chief. >> reporter: romney's offensive on national security did not go as planned. >> the day after the attack, governor, i stood in the rose garden and i told the american people and the world that we were going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror. >> on the day after the attack you went in the rose garden and said that this was an act of terror? >> that's what i said. >> you said in the rose garden the day after the attack it was an act of terror? >> get the transcript. >> he did, in fact, sir. so, let me call it an act of terror. >> could you say that a little louder, candy? >> he did. >> throughout this debate the president tried to make up for the first one. this time he used that 47% attack line. >> when he said behind closed doors that 47% of the country considered themselves victims, who refuse personal responsibility, think about who he was talking about. >> reporter: and romney, who dominated the stage in the first debate, was going for a repeat performance. >> you'll get your chance in a moment. i'm still speaking. the answer is that i don't believe people think that's the case. that went a question. that was a statement. >> reporter: but an attempt to reach the critical female vote may have fallen flat. he answered a question about equal pay with a story about searching for women in his massachusetts cabinet. >> i went to a number of women groups, can you help us find folks and they brought us binders full of women. >> reporter: within moments romney's binders had its own twitter handle. the president went after romney as a flip flopper. >> you stood in front of a coal plant as governor of massachusetts and pointed at it and said this plant kills and took great pride in shutting it down. and now suddenly you're a big champion of coal. >> reporter: romney appeared determined to use his rehearsed lines even when they were off topic. the question was on immigration but romney launched into a defense of his offshore investments with a practice pivot against the president. >> any investments i have over the last eight years have been managed by a blind trust. i understand they do include investments outside the united states, including in chinese companies. mr. president, if you look add you at your pension? have you looked at your pension? >> i don't look at my pension. it's not as big as yours. it doesn't take as long. >> let me give you some advice. >> i don't check it that often. >> dana bash joins us from new york and jessica yellin is outside the town hall forum in hempstead, new york. dana, i want to start with you. mitt romney, what three things in your mind did he do best? >> first of all, i think he he did a really good job, what he had to do on trying to -- as much as he could -- make the discussion the narrative about the past four years and about the economy in the past four years, saying over and over again the 23 million jobs were lost, that the did he haeficit cut in half as the president promised and so on. he really wanted to and did try to keep it on the president's record. also you remember there was that question to mitt romney about george w. bush, how he would be different, a potentially predictionly question. he handled it pretty well with regard to the answer he needed to give, talking about the fact that under the bush years the deficits were racked up, there was too much spending, he wouldn't do that. lastly, kind of broadly, you saw in that piece, and anybody who watched last night, he did hold his own on the stage with the president of the united states. some might argue too much so, some might argue that maybe he went a little too far, was too aggressive but he certainly did. you bet today that is making the base of his party, which is so critical, very happy. >> i'm sure you're right about that. okay. now for you, jessica. what three things did the president do the best? >> reporter: well, first of all, he corrected the biggest mistakes of his first debate. he he came to play. he was feisty. he was alive. he looked up and watched mitt romney the whole time. he looked like he was fighting to keep the job. he came with a narrative. first time didn't look like he came with a specific message to deliver. this time the narrative, whether it was contraception, oil prices or taxes that mitt romney is dishonest, changing positions and cannot be trusted. he drove that message home over and over on topic after topic. you can see there was a theme the president was selling. and, finally, he hit the specific messages of the campaign wants to deliver. so it was the 47%. he talked about romney's investments in china, which you heard in that piece. he talk ed about outsourcing. he was forceful in the libya discussion. so all of these things were key points that he needed to bring up, the campaign wanted him to bring up. he didn't in the first debate. missed many of them. and he did last night, carol. >> back to you, dana. romney's biggest stumble, just one. >> reporter: >> well, you heard jesky talk abo jessica talk about the president being forceful on libya. republicans are cringing about today, they were witting for two weeks for romney to be able to get after the president because of legitimate criticism about their changing stories, problemat problemat problematic security but it all got buried under his back and forth about whether the president in the rose garden said it was an act of terror or not. and so that was problematic. one other quick thing i have to say, though, particularly three women here talking, the whole question about equal pay, he turned it into that bumper sticker twitter line, binders full of women. which i still don't really understand. and lastly, this is something that i got tweets about, texts about from republican strategists, carol. the fact that he kept battling with candy, that that is just not a strategy that tends to work well and tends to go over well with voters and viewers, when you battle with the moderator like that. >> we'll talk about that much more later in "the newsroom." jessica, obama stumbles. >> reporter: stumbles? he had more attack than planned. he said he had a one-point plan not a five-point plan but it was more about what romney was doing wrong than what the president would offer during a second term. did he nt play to the audience, who are stand-ins for undecided voters. there was one moment he talked to the woman on the equal pay question and talked emotionally about his own family and his mom, his kids, his grandma. that was the one moment. there wasn't really a memorable i feel your pain connection from the president or mitt romney. it's sort of a wash on that point. the president missed a key opening. on the question when mitt romney, governor romney was asked how are you different from president bush, the president's comeback there should have been, could have been -- even his campaign acknowledges privately -- let me talk about the ways governor romney would be just like president bush, and he did not do that. he circled back to it in a much later answer on social issues but that was a key opening to talk about his essential campaign message, which is that governor romney would employ economic policies just like president bush's. and the president missed that opening. carol? >> jessica yellin, dana bash, thank you very much for your analysis. whoa appreciate it. moderator, candy crowley, of cnn made some waves herself. she had to. she played referee to two men who were determined to take control. but the most talked about exchange came during an argument over libya. as you heard, crowley said obama was right then she said romney had a point. conservatives pounced saying crowley got it wrong. this is what candy said on "starting point." >> listen, what i said on that stage is the same thing i said to you, actually, last night. >> i was sitting there. i know what you said. >> which is that -- what i was trying to do, by the way -- not fact check them, but i was trying to move this along. the question was benghazi. there is no question that the administration is quite vulnerable on this topic, that they did take weeks to go, well, there wasn't actually a protest and it didn't have anything to do with the tape. that was his first answer, romney's -- then we got stuck on this yes, i did. no, you didn't. yes, i did say terror. then there was this point where he they both looked at me. mitt romney was looking at me. the president was looking at me. i wanted to move this along. can we get back to -- so i said he did say acts of terror, called it an act of terror but, governor romney, you were perfectly right that it took weeks for them to get past -- >> two sets of applause. >> yes. >> then you said yes, it took two weeks, people on the other side applauded. so not a backtrack? >> no. the question was when it got so stuck on that act of terror, it took him -- now, did the president say this was an act of terror? the president did not say. he said -- >> these acts of terror. >> these acts of terror. but he was in the rose garden to talk about benghazi, so i don't think that's -- sorry. >> what is clear, last night's debate is fascinating to watch. washington post columnist said, quote, i have seen every presidential debate in american history since nixon and kennedy in 1960. this was immeasurably the best. more on this fiery debate over the next two hours. i'll be talking with working middle class citizens, voters to see what they thought about the candidates. plus a woman who was at the debate asked the question. why the audience decided to he erupt in cheers when it wasn't supposed to. also a debate coach who can explain what we can learn from the body language of each candidate. in just a few minutes i'll talk to mitt romney's campaign surrogate, georgia republican congressman phil gingry. there is other news this morning. let's check some of the other stories out there. lance armstrong is stepping down as the live strong foundation. he created the cancer foundation after his own battle with cancer. nike is terminating its contract with the cyclist. in a statement nike says it's, quote, due to seemingly lly insurmountable evidence that lance armstrong participated in doping and misled nike for more thn a decade. end quote. lance armstrong says, quote, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, i will conclude my chairmanship. my family and i have devoted our lives to the work of the foundation and that will not change. we plan to continue our service to the foundation and to the cancer community. we will remain active advocates for cancer survivors and engage supporters in the fight against cancer. just a week ago u.s. anti-doping agency made its case against armstrong public. armstrong has consistently denied the doping claims. george zimmerman faces second-degree murder in the death of trayvon martin. he has claimed he acted in self defense. no trial date has been set but zimmerman's attorneys say it probably won't start until next year. federal investigators are searching for the pharmaceutical company blamed for making contaminated steroids. the medicine linked to an outbreak of fungal meningitis. at least 15 people have died, hundreds more have been infected. new england compounding center recalled all of its drugs, saying it is cooperating with authorities. stay with us. more debate coverage next with republican representative phil gingry. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing a reason to look twice. the entirely new lexus es and the first-ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. the entirely new lexus es and the first-ever es hybrid. anncr: every president inherits few have faced so many. four years later... our enemies have been brought to justice. our heroes are coming home. assembly lines are humming again. there are still challenges to meet. children to educate. a middle class to rebuild. but the last thing we should do is turn back now. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪ it is 17 minutes past the hour. for those of you who thought the first presidential debate lacked sparks, you were definitely not disappointed if you watched last night. president obama and mitt romney both delivered fiery performances to say the least. at some points, talking over each other, pointing fingers and circling each other like boxers in a ring. one topic they clashed fiercely over was libya. >> i think it's interesting the president just said something which is that on the day after the attack, he went in the rose garden and said that this was an act of terror. >> that's what i said. >> you said in the rose garden the day after the attack it was an act of terror? it was not a spontaneous demonstration, is that what you're saying? >> please proceed, governor. >> i want to milk sure we get that for the record. because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in benghazi an act of terror. >> get the transcript. >> he did, in fact, sir. so, let me call it an act of terror -- >> can you say that a little louder, candy? >> he did call it an act of terror. it did, as well, take -- it did, as well, take two weeks or so -- >> okay. so, joining me now is republican congressman from georgia, phil gingrey. good morning, congressman. >> god morning, carol. >> it seemed that whole topic evolved into an argument over semantics and lacked substance. do you agree? >> no, i do not agree at all. the lack of substance was that candy crowley aided and abetted a misstatement of the president saying that in the rose garden on the 12th, one day after the attack, that it was not an act of terrorism. he was referring to terrorism in general in the 11th anniversary of 9/11 and he absolutely, as candy crowley walked it back after the debate, made no remark about benghazi being an act of terror. >> well, she would say -- and we just heard her in the last couple of minutes on cnn, defending when she had to say. she said in the rose garden -- this was a direct quote from the president. these acts of terror will never shake the resolve of this great nation. and then, of course, 14 days later the white house finally admitted that this was an orchestrated attack and that film had nothing to do with it. candy, in that debate clearly said that. so, she was, indeed, accurate. i'm just saying that when you get right down to the substance, i think governor romney missed the chance to talk about the intelligence failures and why there was intelligence failures. why didn't he ask the president about those? >> well, i certainly hope that he will continue to pursue this. and i think he will in florida next week with bob schieffer d modera moderating. this is all on foreign policy. so the buck stops on the president's desk. i mean, he needs to remember the placard on harry truman's desk. and now it seems that the buck stops with hillary clinton? i know she wanted to have that 3:00 in the morning phone call, but now it looks like she's getting it. i almost feel sorry for her, for falling on the sword for the president. it's clearly the constitutional responsibility of the president as the commander in chief to protect american people, whether they're on domestic soil or foreign soil. >> and i think, sir -- i think, sir, that many would say those are really great points to bring up. so why are conservatives blaming the moderator? why didn't governor romney come out and ask these very questions of the president? >> i'm not picking on candy crowley. >> you did pick on candy crowley. you did. >> i like candy and i think she's fair. but the statement that she made when she chimed in and said that's right, mr. president, you did say that, were misleading. that may have thrown governor romney off his game just for a second. but, look, you talk about sparks flying. they were flying in the first debate, rolling in one direct n direction, direct current if you will. in this debate sparks went back and forth. we had had an alternating current. president obama did better than the first time but he could hardly have done worse. but mitt romney did excellent in this debate. and i think he was the winner of both debates. >> so just one last question about candy crowley. you did say she aided and abetted. so, do you take it back or do you still think that? >> i don't take it back. i'm not saying she deliberately did that. i don't think candy would do that. i do think she's fair and i watch her show every sunday morning. and i like her. i don't know her personally. but i like her. but i'm not taking back my statement. but she did, if inadvertently, she did aid and abet president obama in that exchange. >> well, as i said, what she said was accurate and she stands by it. thank you, congressman, for being with us this morning. we certainly appreciate it. >> thank you. our big story of the day is also our talk back question. what did you take away from last nig night's presidential debate? facebook.com/carolcnn. [ female announcer ] you can make macaroni & cheese without freshly-made pasta. you could also cut corners by making it without 100% real cheddar cheese. but then...it wouldn't be stouffer's mac & cheese. just one of over 70 satisfying recipes for one from stouffer's. now is your chance to talk back on one of the biggest stories of today. what did you take away from last night's debate? have a debate hangover this morning? don't blame yourself. it was hard to turn away. it was better than the super bowl. the net exploded. sometimes over the weirdest things like binders full of women. >> we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to be members of our cabinet. i went to a number of women's groups and said can you help us find folks? they found us whole binders full of women. >> he was trying to make the case that women deserved equal pay. instead he spawned a whole facebook page and lightning fast reaction. binders full of women is high favorite motley crew women and this tweet binders full of women is what they find in a serial killer's apartment and bill clinton with a caption i want to hear more about this binder and when when was the last time you heard a president say gang bangers. >> worry going to go after folks who are here illegally, we should do it smartly and go after folks who are criminals, gang bangers, folks who are hurting the community. >> at times the candidates were so feisty, one guy tweeted we're about three seconds away from the knife fight from "beat it." some loved it, they broke the rouls and aapplauded. >> he did, sir, so let me -- >> can you say that louder? >> he did call it an act of terror. >> that sparked a conspiracy theory that michelle obama actually started the applause. although i couldn't see it from the video. noise aside, though, we wondered, what did you take away from last night's debate? facebook.com/carolcnn. your responses, later this hour. we'll talk more about how binders became the latest catch phrase in the 2012 campaign. maria cardona and ana navaro up next. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®. -oh, that's just my buds. -bacon. -my taste buds. -[ taste buds ] donuts. how about we try this new kind of fiber one cereal? you think you're going to slip some fiber by us? okay. ♪ fiber one is gonna make you smile. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing new fiber one nutty clusters and almonds. [ male announcer ] introducing new fiber one i'i invest in what i know.r. i turned 65 last week. i'm getting married. planning a life. there are risks, sure. but, there's no reward without it. i want to be prepared for the long haul. i see a world bursting with opportunities. india, china, brazil, ishares, small-caps, large-caps, ishares. industrials. low cost. every dollar counts. ishares. income. dividends. bonds. i like bonds. ishares. commodities. diversification. choices. my own ideas. ishares. i want to use the same stuff the big guys use. ishares. 8 out of 10 large, professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. introducing the ishares core, etfs for the heart of your portfolio. tax efficient and low cost building blocks to help you keep more of what you earn. call your advisor. visit ishares.com. ishares. ishares. yeah, ishares. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. bp has paid overthe people of bp twenty-threeitment to the gulf. billion dollars to help those affected and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open, and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. and bp's also committed to america. we support nearly 250,000 jobs and invest more here than anywhere else. we're working to fuel america for generations to come. our commitment has never been stronger. to a currency market for everyone. the potential of fxcm unlocked. nyse euronext. unlocking the world's potential. the potential of yelp unlocked. nyse euronext. unlocking the world's potential. and good morning to you. i'm carol costello. it is 31 minutes past the hour. stories we're watching right now in the newsroom, wall street opens for the day on strong economic news. housing starts jumped 15% in september. that is the highest level in more than four years. and bank of america reported third quarter earnings that topped expectations, ringing the opening bell today the founder and ceo of shutter stock, a global marketplace for image rye. we've been following the story of malala, the pakistani school girl shot shot by the taliban. now getting medical treatment at a british hospital. she wasn't the only one hit in the assassination attempt. reza sayah got an exclusive interview from malala's classmate from her hospital bed. >> do you regret standing up against the taliban now that you've been hurt? >> translator: no, sir, i don't regret it. god willing, i will continue my education. >> reporter: what do you want the world to know? >> translator: girls' education here is more important than boys because boys can have any jobs they want to, but girls cannot. i want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an educati education. >> wow! name of the girl's school, by the way, is being changed to malala public high school. no injuries or major damage being reported after a 4.0 earthquake struck near hollis center, maine, but felt across most of new england. one college student told the boston globe it was nothing in the movies, no books falling or anything. equal pay for equal work equals binders full of women. probably not the headline team romney wanted coming out of last night's debate. it started with this line. >> i said, gosh, can't we find some women that are also qualified? and so we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. i went to a number of women's groups and said can you help us find folks? they brought us whole binders full of women. >> and that was all america needed to set off a social media circus. on twitter, this, where romney's biepder now has more than 6,000 followers to tweets like these, quote, there are going to be binders full of women voted for obama on november 6th. and it's so good we have to show it again, a picture going around with bill clinton with the caption i want to hear more about this binder. joining me now, cnn contributor ana navaro, maria cardona, cnn contributor and democratic strategist. good morning to you both. >> good morning, carol. >> i want to start with you because you're writing a cnn.com article on romney's comments, and you say it shows a lack of understanding. why? >> it clearly focuses on not just romney's lack of understanding of the question that was asked which, by the way, he never answered in terms of equality for women but also shows he's uncomfortable in the discussion about diversity in general. what i explore in my piece is that first of all the story, as he told it, is actually not true. the binder full of women, as he talks about it, is actually a binder that was put together by a bipartisan group of women in massachusetts that they went and then handed to the governor, when he was elected. it also shows, carol, that he clearly had no indication in his 25 years of being a ceo of having run into any women, apparently, that were qualified. so i think all of those things really focus on a lack of understanding in terms of women as businesswomen, as leaders, what the needs of women are and i think it underscores what one of his major failings is, that he cannot connect to women as voters, as mothers, as working women, as business leaders and i think that's going to hurt him. >> and, ana, it wasn't just the binder comment. romney also talked about the need for flexible policies at work for women and he cited a story about how his chief of staff said she needed to be home to make dinner for her children. so some women might say that's just so -- such an old-fashioned way of thinking. >> look, it might be old-fashioned for some women and it may not be old-fashioned for other others. we shouldn't judge women on one measure. there's different priorities for different women. i think what maria just said, though, was somewhat inaccurate. you just talked about his chief of staff, her name is beth meyers, and she has worked for governor romney for something like 30 years, worked with him at bain capital, was his chief of staff at the governor's office, continues to be his right hand woman in this campaign. so the closest staffer he has had for the longest time in his lifetime has been a woman. and i think, you know, we also see the effect and the influence of ann romney on him. now, was it a good, useable word? no. let's admit it. now mitt romney's binder can compete for twitter followers with clint eastwood's chair. it's something that came out awkward. it is none an unusual thing to get binders full of applicants, whether they are labeled women, african-americans, you know, people with -- you know, with a southern drawl or whatever. that may not be it. it's a very common thing. when you go into a government, you have to fill out, fill up thousands, literally thousands of vacatint jobs. >> that is true. i just wanted to cite this recent pew poll, showed governor romney erased an 18-point advantage that president obama had with women. all you have to do is mention the lousy economy and it doesn't matter what mitt romney says about women. women are concerned about the economy and it ain't good right now. >> one of the things president obama did very well last night, he connected all of those things that republicans like to call women's issues to economics for women. for example, in terms s of hea care, when a woman is about to lose health care because obamacare will be repealed where she no longer will get preventive care, no longer have access to cancer screenings or no longer have access to birth control, those are all very much connected to women's economics. and that question that spawned the binders full of women wias all about pay equality for women. the fkt that mitt romney, a, did not ask the question and b, when asked throughout his campaign whether he would support the lily ledbetter act, the first bill the president signed as president speaks volumes about what he actually thinks is appropriate for equality for wom women. and that is not a whole lot. and i don't think that's going to help him for the next three weeks in the campaign. >> an a, i also wanted to touch on candy crowley. both men actually interrupted her. some viewers thought that the candidates were kind of rude to candy and that might had hurt their standing among women. do you agree? >> you know, i don't. first of all, it kind of comes with the territory. i think candy did a very good job. will she get some criticism? yes. but, again, it comes with the job description. you know, she said before this debate that she was not going to be a fly on the wall. and i think she proved last night that she was not going to be a fly on the wall. she inserted herself in ways that made a difference in the e debate. i think she did some good follow-up. you know, she kept these guys in check and, yeah, it's a hard thing to do, particularly given the format. no, i don't think -- frank ly, don't think either of them did anything -- not that she would allow it -- that would be -- i pity the fool who tries to run ramshot over candy crowley. i think it was fine. >> okay. so we all agree on something. ana navaro, maria cardona, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> you're well kochlt. we're not done with our discussion of last night's debate. in the next hour, members of our middle class talk back. we'll see if the candidates changed their minds because two of those middle class voters are undecided. squlooirks about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪ . the decision you make in college in choosing your major could end up costing you millions of dollars over your lifetime. new stats on degrees that earned the most money and the least p money. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. this should be interesting. >> it is interesting. if you're a typical college graduate over your 40-year career you'll probably take home about $2.4 million. that's what the census bureau says. listen to what major makes the most money, engineering, which means you would make $3.5 million over that 40-year career. guess which major makes the least, though, education. you'll pull in less than $2 million. of course, it all depends on what you do with that major. let's say you're an engineering major, working in management. you'll earn more than the average person who majors in engineering. overall, majors in math and science-related fields, if you major in those, you'll probably make morme money. you'll make less if you major in psychology, education or the arts. one more reason why, carol, we shouldn't take it lightly when we have to decide our major. it may seem like a small decision at the time but has long-term implication. i found that in every major, women earned less than men. it is part of the debate. alison kosik, thank you so much. candidates threw out a lot of numbers about the budget. we've got a fact check for you. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing a stunning work of technology. introducing the entirely new lexus es. and the first-ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. i don't think you have to teach innovation. i think you just have to coax people out of their fear of trying to innovate. everybody has creative abilities. but people just don't express them. i mean, i see people come in here that are afraid to try anything. you give them some classes and some encouragement, they have some success with their products and you see them just change. you see them light up. you see them say, wow, i really can do this. this is stunning. they're stunned. we heard president obama go governor romney say the federal deficit is out of control. it was no surprise when both men pitched their plans last night to tackle the deficit and control spending. but unless you were watching the debate with a calculator, some of their plans just didn't add up. good thing cnn's tom foreman did a little fact checking for us. >> carol, as i know you know, the candidates have been talking about the deficit endlessly. the difference between how much money the government takes in, in taxes, and how much it spends every year. and so we weren't surprised when it came up in this debate. >> i'll get us on track to a balanced budget and i'm going to reduce the tax burden on middle income families. what's that going to do? it's going to help those families and create incentives to start growing jobs again. >> if we're serious about reducing the deficit, if this is genuinely a moral obligation to the next generation, then in addition to spending cuts we also have to milk sure that the wealthy do a little bit more. >> this is the deficit right now. $1,0 $1,090,000,000. each person would have to kick in $3,500. each candidate says i can reduce the deficit. they all say we'll have to contain the spending of the government and control it. we're also going to have to rewrite the tax code and we have to get the economy moving again. that's what's going to produce moni and revenue and really solve the problem. but beyond that, they don't agree on much. let's look at the romney plan first. if this were to represent everything he wants to spend money on and he needs this much to cover it, he knows he's not going to get it, because he has a deficit. so, how is he going to deal with that deficit? he says he's going to do it with tax cuts. tax cuts initially will make the deficit worse. so he needs to offset them. he says he's going to do that by looking at deductions and loopholes, things that people will -- he suggests he won't go after what rely on. economists say if you grab up all the other deductions you put on wealthiest people and put them on this pile, it not going to be enough. you're going to end up having to tax the middle class or watch the deficit get bigger. barack obama has a different version of the same song. he's got all the things he wants to pay for. he also will not have all the money he needs. he's going to have a deficit, too. he says you can deal with it by taxing the wealthy. this is a popular plan with many voters but it has a flaw, there just aren't that many wealthy people in the country. if you define people who individually make more than $200,000 a year as he often does, for every one there is like that in the country, this is how many there are who don't make that much money. you would have to tax this person at a much higher rate than the white house is talking about to solve this problem and even they ever you probably wouldn't get enough money to really make up the deficit. the simple truth is both of these plans are woe fly short on important details to tell us if they would really reduce the deficit. we need to hear more from both candidates. in the meantime when they say i can reduce the deficit, all we can do is give that a grade of "i" for income plepincomplete. ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. [ male announcer ] start with an all new award winning car. good. now find the most hard core driver in america. that guy, put him in it. what's this? [ male announcer ] tell him he's about to find out. you're about to find out. [ male announcer ] test it. highlight the european chassis, 6 speed manual, dual exhaust, wide stance, clean lines, have him floor it, spin it, punch it, drift it, put it through its paces, is he happy? oh ya, he's happy! [ male announcer ] and that's how you test your car for fun. easy. "talkback" question of the morning, what did you take back from the presidential debate? >> now that's the president i voted for. welcome back, mr. obama." "i don't like either one of them. obama has his bad record." "that romney is selling opportunity and obama is selling government dependence." "that early voting and november 6th cannot get here fast enough, go vote." thanks for joining us, we'll be back. americans believe they should be in charge of their own future. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want. where they want. doing what they want. ameriprise. the strength of a leader in retirement planning. the heart of 10,000 advisors working with you one-to-one. together for your future. ♪ heaven is so very close. the detroit tigers one win away from reaching the world series. the tigers put the new york yankees in a 3-0 hole in the alcs. verlander had only three strikeouts. he was behind in the count a lot but they keep the yankees off the scoreboard until the ninth inning. detroit scored on a fourth inning home run to left by yankee killer delmon young. miguel cabrera put them up by 2. new york puts their ace c.c. sabathia on the mound tonight trying to avoid a sweep. >> nhl commissioner gary bettman announced a new offer to end the lockout. both sides must agree on a deal by next week. the players union is studying the offer and expects to get back to the league very soon. >> the nfl says beyonce will perform in a super bowl halftime show. check out beyonce's web site. can you already see she has her game face on. written in eye black, the date of the super bowl, the game will be played in the new orleans super dome. and that's a look at sports this morning. the next hour of "newsroom" begins now. round two in the bag, in your face and personal. >> i don't think anyone really believes that you're a person who is going to be pushing for oil and gas and coal. you'll get your chance in a moment. i'm still speaking. >> if you're asking me a question -- >> that wasn't a question, that was a statement. >> but did it sway undecided voters. nobody could have predicted how the second presidential debate would have turned out. heated debates from both candidates. the most memorable came early on in a discussion over oil. >> in the last four years you cut permits and licenses on federal land and federal waters in half. >> not true, governor romney. >> how much did you cut them by then? >> not true. >> how much did you cut them by then? >> no, governor we have -- here's what we did. >> i had a question and the question was how much did you cut them by sp. >> you want me to answer, i'm happy to answer the question. >> and eventually he did. chief white house correspondent jessi jessica yellen joi ee ee een jo. >> this was a spicy, in your face, combative night. the question was about is the department of energy responsible for helping bring down gas prices. they weren't even talking about gas prices. it almost seemed as though governor romney came in with the intention because that was very early at the very top of the debate. governor romney seemed to come in with an intention of trying to get very aggressive, maybe even trying to rattle the president and the president held his own and so you saw right from the top that they were going to go mono-o-momo right from the top. >> another exchange was over the economy. let's listen. >> we have fewer people working today than we had when the president took office. the unemployment rate was 7.8 when he took office and it's 7.8% now. if you calculate that taking into account people who dropped out of the workforce, it would be 10.5%. >> governor romney said he has a five-point plan. governor romney has a one-point plan. his plan is to make sure those in the top sector pay less taxes. that's been his plan. >> did they satisfy votes are who were undecideundecided? >> no, they did not get into very many specifics at all. but they did at least very extensively clarify how they're different and i don't expect either man to reveal more specifics about what they would do in a second term at this late stage. three weeks to go, they're not going to do something they haven't already done. that was a perfect exchange to make clear governor romney clearly laid out the case he's been trying to make all election long, which is that the president has not been successful in fixing our economic problems or getting us where we need to go so bring me in to fix it. that was his case. and then the president rebutted, played the perfect sound bite to show it saying, no, the governor is not being honest about his vision. that was a clear dislags of both of their viewpoints, carol. >> here's the most heated exchange. it took about an hour for both men to get to the topic of libya. it did come up and it did not disappoint. >> the day after the attack, governor, i stood in the rose garden and i told the american people and the world that we are going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror. >> i want to make sure we get that for the record. it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in benghazi an act of terror. >> get the transcript. >> he did in fact, sir. so -- >> can you say that a little louder, candy? >> he did call it an act of terror. it did as well take two weeks or so for the whole idea of there being a riot out there about this tape to come out. you're correct about that. >> the administration indicated that this was a reaction to a video and was a spontaneous reaction. >> it did. >> okay. so conservatives are saying, candy crowley set romney up and took him down. more liberal analysts say obama's response to mr. romney took the issue of libya right off the table. what do you think? >> both are flat out wrong. first of all, candy crowley is a political expert and she knows the speech, what the president said in the rose garden. she had no idea that was going to come up. when she's seeing two people argue about it and knows for a fact he used the phrase "act of terror," she could solve it right there. that's the role of the moderator. sometimes you have to just be the referee. she tried to dispense with that issue and move on to the rest of the debate. the fact that he used the phrase "act of terror" does not put to bed this question why did it take so long for the administration to say no, there was no protest outside and to clarify what really happened. and so that will continue as an issue and in fact our next debate is about foreign policy and i think you will hear it come up there. carol? >> i think you're right. jessica yellin, thanks so much. then there was that interesting question about how governor romney is different from george w. bush. >> governor romney, i am an undecided voter because i'm disappointed with the lack of progress i've seen in the last four years. however, i do attribute much of america's economic and international problems to the failings and missteps of the bush administration. since both you and president bush are republicans, i fear a return to the policies of those years should you win this election. what is the biggest difference between you and george w. bush? and how do you differentiate yourself from george w. bush? >> president bush and i are different people and these are different times and that's why my five-point plan is so different than what he would have done. i'll crack down on china. president bush didn't. i'm going to get us to a balanced budget, president bush didn't. president obama was right. he said that that was outrageous to have deficits as high as half a trillion dollars under the bush years, he was right. but then he put in place deficits twice that size for every one of his four years. >> there are some ways where governor romney is different from george bush. george bush didn't propose turning medicare into a voucher. george bush embraced comprehensive immigration reform, he didn't call for self-deportation. george bush never suggested that we eliminate funding for planned parenthood. so there are differences between governor romney and george bush but they're not on economic policy. in some ways he's gone to a more extreme place when it comes to social policy. >> okay. so the undecided voter who asked that question is susan cass. she joins me from hofstra, university. welcome, susan. >> hi. thank you for having me, carol. >> i can't wait to hear what you have to say. you asked a question, the candidates answered. what did you think of their answers to your question? >> well, i was disappointed that the governor chose to first rebut what the president had been saying prior to what my question had been to him. that seems to be his style. i found that disappointing. i thought that the governor did a good job of laying out some ways that he would function differently than president bush had and basically throughout the night found that disconcerting that the governor needed to control the debate. that was a problem for me and that was evident in the way he chose to first respond to my question. >> and when you say he tried to control the debate, did nd of turn you candidat the othe >> ye it did. i havs respect for> there's no question that he is a very bright man and a very capable businessman and i've always thought that we needed a businessman to run the country but i think that last night i saw that possibly someone who has been running a business or many businesses for many years is used to having things go his way and i didn't see that -- i was seeing this for a while but last night i really felt that governor romney was not as good a listener as he was as wanting to get his way. so that was a big influence on my thought process. >> interesting. the libya question that provoked the most heated exchange. there was applause in the audience, something that was barred according to the rules. who was applauding? >> i'm having trouble hearing you. oh, i know what happened. did this fall out? one second. i'm so sorry. >> she can't hear me. i would say take your time but she can't hear me. there you go. >> that's better. i'm so sorry. >> no worry. it happens all the time, susan, don't worry. >> okay, you're putting me at ease. >> good, i'm glad. at one point there was applause in the audience, something that was against the rules. who was applauding? >> well, it was hard -- we couldn't turn around and see the audience but i think you're referring to possibly when the president appreciated candy referring to when he supposedly said in the rose garden something about that it was an act of terrorism. is that what you're referring to? >> yes. >> who was applauding? >> mrs. obama was applauding. if i remember correctly, she applauded at one point, i turned her around and saw her applauding. there was no applause amongst our circle of press as they call us. we weren't allowed to do that. >> it's interesting you say it was mrs. obama applauding. that's going around the blogs now. did you decide who to vote for after all is said and done? >> yes, i did. i did. i guess you want that answer. president obama. i found him to be -- first of all, let me put it this way. i think he has matured tree m d tremendously. there's no question we expected more from him, i was disappointed. when i got the phone call from the gallup poll, i was truly undecided. when i had to work up four questions, i wanted to ask questions that would give me an insight into each man's character and the kind of leader he was b the question about specifics were not necessarily going to make up my mind because things change and you don't always know what kind of cooperation a president is going to get from the congress. so i saw in president obama someone who has ripened with time who deserves another four years to see his vision through and i saw someone who i thought was very earnest who listened as well as speaks. susan, thank yo sharing your thoughts with us this morning. we appreciate it. we'll have more coverage of this fiery debate over the next hour. i'll be talking with working middle-class people to see what they thought about the candidates' performance. we'll be right back. ahhhh drill sound chirping electric shaver shaking remote tapping sound shaking drill chirping tapping shaking remote wouldn't it be great to have one less battery to worry about? 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[ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. it is the morning after the second presidential debate and candidates are already back on the campaign trail. president obama will be campaigning in iowa and in ohio today. mitt romney is in virginia with a rally in chesapeake. the were taking comments from the debate and putting them into their message. the romney campaign was working hard on taking words "we won't get those jobs back" and using those words against him. we have democratic strategist penny lee and also with us katin dawson. mitt romney said when he was governor of massachusetts he went to women's group and got binders full of women that he could hire. will this really stick? he just probably put it inelegantly, shall we say? >> we've been having a lot of these inelegant statements in his campaign. you'll probably hear now it was taken out of context. it really showed the difference in the contrast with how they are approaching the women's vote. you heard the president speak about and have more of an empathetic quality toward his answer, which was talking about being raised by a single mom, standing what it is to be a bread winner, what it means to go out and have the security of health care to the on for yourself but for your parents and children as well, being able to make those choices in your health care that you would like to have contraceptive care and other care. and he had that to a stark contrast where mitt romney really went down to his example of being empathetic of women was he had a binder full of resumés. that did not resonate well. stylistically you saw a stark contrast as you heard from susan katz who was in the room asking that question, she was very turned off by the aggressiveness of governor romney. that is something i've seen a lot in e-mails received back to me is that a lot of women were turned off stylistically by his overaggressiveness. that is something you're going to hear again as well. >> although i will say in fairness she voted for president obama at first time and maybe she was leaning that way anyway. what do you think? >> well, i think what we saw last night was a better performance from the president and of course the bar wasn't that hard to move from the first debate. i think what governor romney did last night was accent way that there was is a mathematical arithmetic problem. gas prices have raised 100%, college tuition has gone up 25%, we have 47 million people on food stamps and 23 million people out of work. that's a message that works, those are facts that are true and i do agree with penny certainly that the race is going to get spirited and it was testy last night and the expectations were different. the president had a good night but so did mitt romney. so this race is reset down to the ground games, what's going to be the future sitting in ohio, certainly ohio, north carolina, virginia, florida and this race is coming down to the wire. >> well, penny, you talk about aggressiveness. many democrats out there say they want the president to be much more aggressive and go on the attack yet they don't seem to like the same thing from governor romney. what's up with that? >> i think ther is that delicate ball yance you have to hit, which is being force african-american without being overaggressive. i think the president struck the right tone, a tone a lot of democrats would have liked to have seen two weeks ago. he was forceful, commanding in his answer and he did not attack the moderator. people felt mitt romney was rude and more abrupt in actually challenging not only candy but also the president. >> and the question of libya, katon, a lot of people are saying mitt romney bungled the libya question and the issue's off the table for the democrats. what do you say? >> i don't think the issue is going to be off the table. i think u.s. senator lindsey graham is on to something. certainly the president got high marks for taking responsibility that everybody worked for him and that's appreciated but still there's a lot more to this story. they did a good job deflecting a lot of the facts last night the president was charming, mitt romney was articulate. but this race right now is, and i think penny will agree, this race is no longer about the base. if it was about the base, the bases are coming, they're moving. the president had a base problem from the last election of energizing. it's about that small sliver in the middle, what the turnout models are and i would contend right now both ground games are working. i think the president would have collapsed more in the numbers without his early investment in the ground game. my estimate is they have around 6,000 people working, the governor has about the same working that small sliver last night. cnn was the real winner last night. it was a professional debate. i commend candy crowley from doing tremendous job. this information matters and these voters are watching as we see when we interview them. >> thank you penny lee and katon dawson for joining us. >> mikey dumps armstrong and now armstrong is responding. we can cut you a check, or, at our service center, we take care of everything for you. 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[ male announcer ] it's chevy truck month. now during chevy truck month, get 0% apr financing for 60 months or trade up to get the 2012 chevy silverado all-star edition with a total value of $8,000. hurry in before they're all gone! we're coming up on 30 minutes past the hour. checking top stories, george zimmermann will go on trial next year starting june tenth. he's accused of second degree murder in the death of trayvon martin. this morning his attorneys went before a newly appointed judge to work out the dates. he claims he shot trayvon martin in south defense. >> we've been following the story of malala, shot by the taliban, now getting medical treatment at a britain hospital. we have an exclusive interview with her classmate from her hospital bed. >> do you regret standing up against the taliban now that you've been hurt? >> translator: no, sir, i don't regret it. god willing, i will continue my education. >> reporter: what do you want the world to know? >> translator: girls education here are more important than boys because boys can have any job they want and girls cannot. i want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an education. >> wow. the name of the girls school is being changed to malala public high school. >> no injuries or major damage reported after a 4.0 earthquake struck near hollis center, maine. it was felt across much of new england like in this meeting room. can you see the camera shake a little bit. and then the woman speaking pauses and looks around thinking, yeah, what was that? some people say their homes shook for nearly four seconds. one college student telling the "boston globe" it was nothing like in the movies. no books falling or anything, just some shaking going on. we've heard what the pundits had to say. now you will hear from voters. our panel dissects last night's debate. 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[ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. undecided, uncommitted, independent, whatever you want to call them, they are the people at the top of the romney and obama campaign's wish list. last night they took center stage along with the men who want their vote. >> mr. president, i voted for you in 2008. what have you done or accomplished to earn my vote in 2012? >> four years ago i told the american people and i told you i would cut taxes for middle class families. i said that we would put in place health care reform to make sure that insurance companies can't jerk you around and if you don't have health insurance, you'd have a chance to get affordable insurance. and i have. i committed that i would rein in the excesses of wall street and we passed the toughest wall street reforms since the 30s. all those things will make a difference. the point is the commitments i made i've kept. for those i haven't been able to keep, it's not for lack of trying and we're going to get it done in a second term. >> i think you know better. i think you know the last four years haven't been so good and you're not confident that the next four years are going to be much better either. if you elect president obama, you know what you're going to get. you're going to get a repeat of the last four years. we just can't afford four more years like the last four years. >> joining me are members of our political "talkback." skip is a registered republican who said he's still making up his mind. two of you are undecided. skip, i'm going to start with you. did the debate help you at all? >> no. i found there were some directions i could lean more favorably toward but it's still kind of a toss up with me. i have the time to chew on this a little bit more so i'm not decided yet. >> so what about governor romney? what is it about him that you're suspicious of? >> well, one of the things that i got a sense of last night is they were both in the ring again and this time both of them were intent on duking it out as it were. i -- he made a comment when they were talking about immigration that i thought was a little snarky about the president's first term of office, he would move the notion of immigration forward and have legislation accordingly. that kind of comment where sort of back of the president's commentary left me a little cold. that and the reams of or binders of women. i don't like that language coming from the candidates. >> binders of women, that has the twitterverse on fire. did that resonate with you? >> i'm seeing that the governor doesn't have the gift of gab. it's a bit exhaustive trying to give him the benefit of the doubt all the time. so that comment, i don't think it was much appreciated. >> so moira, democrats are saying, wow, president obama is back, it was like a one-two punch, he was lively, went on the attack. did that make you feel better about the president, though? >> there were times where i felt better and there were times where i was just exhausted of this campaign and of this election. i thought that the president was very engaged last night. i thought he did a great job. i thought he had better answers on many of the questions, especially on the women's -- the equity issue on jobs and that it's not just a women's equity issue, it's an issue of families. i mean, the number of us that are out there as bread winners is staggering and if we're only getting 72 cents on the dollar, i think you're really hurting families. i thought his answer on that question was phenomenal. >> on the subject of the economy, did you get any more specifics from either candidate as to how they're going to solve the deficit problem or the unemployment problem, et cetera, et cetera? >> no. i think that last night's debate was painfully short on specifics. i heard governor romney repeatedly say things like i know how to do that, i know how to get that done, i know this. i heard that a lot but i didn't hear what the how was. and because i think they were so preoccupied with reestablishing positions, that is physical and political positions that the content of what they had to say was more combative, i think, than productive. we got to see a nice -- we got to see a nice battle but i don't think we got a lot of substance. >> a nice slugfest. >> nana, i ask you that question, too, because a lot of people say president obama hasn't said what he'd do different next term. did you have get that out of him? >> not so much. i have to say he gave better answers across the board. there were a couple of things that mitt romney said where i liked his answers but to skip's point i agree. he said a lot about i know how to do this, i've done it as governor of the massachusetts and at the end of the day we're not electing president of massachusetts, we're looking for president of the united states. it has to be larger scale, not just what can you do in a small state. as far as obama, i think what he did last night was answered for a lot of criticism for when he has not done over the past four years. i don't know that he necessarily gave a lot of specifics on what he plans to do but it does seem to me that he has a better head on his shoulders in terms of what he wants to continue and how he's hoping that things will start to continue moving in the right direction rather. >> and moira, you've been through it all, you've been through periods of unemployment, you have an underwater mortgage. when you take into totality about what each candidate said about how they can fix the economy, did any of it make you say, oh, my gosh, i got to vote for this man because he's going to make my life better? >> no. what i heard last night was the president explaining, as nana said, his record and what he has done. he came into office with a lot of challenges and he has addressed a lot of things. and the republican party saying right now that there's 23 million unemployed people and we need to get jobs for everybody. where have they been? you know, it's like too little too late, guys. now they care about the poor and the vulnerable? i don't buy it. i don't buy it one bit. >> okay. well, we only have a couple of more days to go, a couple of weeks and then it will all be over. nana boone, moira binder, skip thank you. >> you're welcome. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. celebrex can be taken with or without food. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. two big aftershocks today surrounding lance armstrong. nike said they're dropping the contract with the cycler. in other words, you're fired. nike said "due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that lawns armstrong participated in doping and misled nike for more than a decade." also armstrong said he will step down as chairman of the livestrong charity. heap said he wants to spare the charity of any controversy. >> i guess armstrong stepping down from livestrong shocks me more than the nike thing. how about you? >> well, i think they're related. nike in 2010 signed a five-year contract with livestrong to give them about $7.5 million a year in profits. they have 100 products made with livestrong. you know, i think it was just part of the deal to keep the foundation safe and as secure from this controversy as possible that they wanted armstrong to step down. >> by all accounts, i mean, lance armstrong cares very deeply about his livestrong organization. this has got to be killing him. >> i think it does hurt him personally very much, but i think in my talks with him, it's very important to him and i think he would value the integrity of the institution over his involvement with it. he's still going to be on the board, which i think is important to note. he's just no longer the chairman. >> to some people it might seem an admission of guilt. >> it sure looks like that. he would say, i believe, that this is just to -- and he did say in a statement just to keep any negative effects from the controversy away from livestrong. >> so what do you predict will happen? i mean, he's still asserting that he's innocent of all of these charges but all of these people are coming out and saying he's guilty as sin. i mean, in the end what do you expect might happen? >> well, this is where it gets interesting. he's still sponsored by track, he has a few small nutrition sponso, honey stinger is one, frs, still a contract with radioshack. we'll see where these go. we've yet to hear about the decision about the yellow jerseys, if those will officially be stripped by the tour organization and there's the possibility of criminal charges being reopened against him. >> so it's not over, not by a long shot. >> big strickland, thank you so much for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> if actions speak louder than words, it looked like both candidates were actually screaming at each other. we'll talk body language when we come back. capella university understands rough economic times have led to an increase in clinical depression. drug and alcohol abuse is up. and those dealing with grief don't have access to the professional help they need. when you see these issues, do you want to walk away or step up? with a degree in the field of counseling or psychology from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. let's get started at capella.edu checking top stories now, a federal appeals court throws out the conviction of osama bin laden's former driver. he was found guilty in 2008 of supporting terrorism but the appeals court said that was not a crime at that time. >> caught on cameras, an assistant youth football coach in florida faces battery charges for punching a referee. no kidding. the ref had given 43-year-old deon robinson an unsportsman like conduct penalty and the coaches are saying the referee was in the wrong. >> big box stores are trying to bring in more sales instead of watching customers look at products in stores and then buy them online. >> and it's a set back for the defending america cup's champ. team oracle's yacht capsizes. no one was hurt but the boat was damaged. now, that's what i call a test drive. silverado! the most dependable, longest lasting, full-size pickups on the road. so, what do you think? 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[ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. something this delicious could only come from nature. new nectresse. the 100% natural no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. the second presidential debate wasn't very presidential at times but it sure was entertaining. the follow-up questions seemed to take on a life of their own with both men trying to get in the last word with sneers and interruptions. they even prowled the stage like lions trying to dominate the space. ed is here with us today. welcome. >> thank you for having me again. >> we're glad you're here. talked to two women voters who said the whole debate thing made them extremely uncomfortable. one woman voter said it made her exhausted. the other woman said it just made her uncomfortable with the aggressiveness of it all. what do you think? >> i think that both candidates ultimately took on a form of the debate where they assumed that the audience was taking a tabulation of all of the points that they were making and assumed that each point was one in which they would score something and that at the end of the day the audience would come to a conclusion about who was the victor. that is not the way we come to be persuaded. it's the moments in the debate that will determine whether or not they were an effective communicator. >> this was a town hall forum with undecided voters asking the questions. at times the two men said the voter's name and then seemed to ignore them altogether. >> absolutely. i think they took on the persona of being the fact checker and they were quibbling over times and it's not what the audience is interested in. the audience is interested in figuring whether or not you're going to be presidential, whether or not you're the candidate that can come across in a way that takes cares of the country's business and does so that in a way that is respectable and that is something that each of the candidates missed out on opportunities doing at various points in time during the debate. >> you talk about being respectful. there was a lot of pointing at one another going on. is that really a great thing to do when you're trying to carry on a respectful debate? >> it's probably not but it ultimately depends upon what the audience expects. at one particular juncture that you had lots of media coverage on was the benghazi exchange where the president was resolute in his command that he was the commander in chief and he had an understanding of what was going on and the audience was looking for a response in which the president was being decisive and being the commander in chief and he turned to governor romney and said that is not what my administration would do. that is not the way in which we go about doing our business. and in that moment in that particular setting and time, that was what the audience was looking for and you can tell that by the audience applauding when the moderator said, president, you are correct on this issue of terrorism. it does depend on the moment and it does depend about what's being discussed. >> let's talk about the moderator for a bit. both men, especially mitt romney, interrupted candy crowley repeatedly. i'm wondering, do voters care about that? does it send the wrong message? >> i think they do. i think it is something that probably governor romney wants to be attentive to during the next debate. ultimately i think the public is interested in whether or not the next president is someone who can be cool, calm, deal with foreign policy, deal with other representatives and go about negotiating in a way that is respectable and that is representative of the country as a whole and the way in which we're treating the moderator is one that can be considered to be divisive and divisive and at times be seen as being disrespectful of the office of the president, that is something that can turn off a lot of voters. based upon previous interviews, it's something that is maybe particularly turned off to women in our country who have a different standard for aggressive posture, which both candidates took on. >> ed lee, thank you for being with us. >> thank you for having me. who has 11 major brands to choose from? your ford dealer. who's offering a rebate? your ford dealer. who has the low price tire guarantee... affording peace of mind to anyone who might be in the market for a new set of res? your ford dealer. i'm beginning to sense a pattern. buy four select tires, get a $60 rebate. use the ford service credit credit card, get $60 more. that's up to $120. where did you get that sweater vest? your ford dealer. ffor help finding a plan that's right for you, give unitedhealthcare a call today. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula, now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. that's healthy skin for life. only from aveeno. the time to introduce solid food is between four to six months. too early, before four months, you run the risk of getting allergies and food can be a choking hazard. it can be helpful to start the new food in the morning. that way a parent can watch a child for reactions during the day. you might expect reactions such as a skin rash, hives, vomiting or diarrhea if a child has a food that doesn't agree with him. if you wait much longer than seven or eight month, babies get used to a full liquid diet and may have difficulty adjusting to new textures. it's good to make sure the foods are soft, smooth and small. >> i'm carol costello. thanks for joining me today. we continue now with ashleigh banfield. >> same players, same issues, absolutely different format, whole new ball game. what a show at hofstra university as president obama faced off with mitt romney for what you might call