Real News': Both Campaigns Face Debate Performance Criticism and a Gender Gap

Reactions have been mixed to what to take from the final presidential debate Monday night. Polls after each candidates' closing statements Monday showed a slight edge to Obama in the debate, but Tuesday's daily tracking poll and morning columns show that Romney may still be winning the war. Joe Scarborough writes in a column for POLITICO:

"Barack Obama won on points last night. But that victory may not have been enough to undo the damage done to the president by this year's debate season.

President Obama came into the first debate in Denver as a heavyweight champ circling his battered, over-matched foe. But Obama let the challenger off the mat and deliver enough blows to change the contest's momentum in dramatic fashion. The next debate was a messy tossup round that barely went to Barack, and last night continued that trend.

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Still, Romney did enough things right to keep the momentum going his way. The former Massachusetts governor's tone was nearly perfect and he abandoned the hard neoconservative line that had concerned more traditional conservatives like myself."

Romney secured 50 percent support compared to 46 percent for Obama in Rasmussen's Daily Presidential Tracking Poll Tuesday, and was also ahead of the president 51-46 in Gallup's Tuesday poll. Commentators to the debate have noted Romney's willingness to agree with the president and "do no harm strategy." This performance has frustrated some conservatives, particularly those who wanted to see Romney take harder shots at the president's handling of the Sept. 11 Libya attack.

On 'Real News' Tuesday the panel discussed their reactions to the debate and subsequent snap polls, as well as the alarming gender gap the Romney campaign continues to face with women, and Obama faces with men: