Roundtable reflects on race’s key moments

>> so there it is. we're two days left. mayor, what stands out for you?

>> well, the clinton speech, when he basically put it plain and used simple arithmetic. this was a damaged economy, and now this was a president who faced challenges that haven't been seen since the great depression. the second part, the part where i got fired up, because i'm not replexive that partisan, would they accept tax cuts 10 to one? and all of them said no.

>> and bill clinton was making the choice in the final hours.

>> three quick things. one, a stupid irritating republican primary that did not nothing to help the republican cause. two, an incredibly timid and negative and somewhat cynical obama campaign that will weaken him if he is re-elected. and a debate that took romney from dead to maybe president of the united states .

>> that debate was huge, joe.

>> i have to say, for me, it's a republican looking at the republican party , it was a horrifying primary process that damaged the republican brand. secondly, a terrible i think republican convention , where mitt romney didn't make the turn to the middle. and, third, just a remarkable first debate. that if mitt romney wins, it will be a debate that political scientists will be looking at 50 years from now. it really could be the big turning point.

>> i hate to agree, but the debate is the line of demarcation, not only was it president obama 's worst night and probably a near death experience for him, but mitt romney was suddenly a credible candidate after the obama campaign put a lot of money and resources trying to kill him in the crib all summer. and romney emerges also when he did that pivot to the center. i think it was an important moment.

>> i think it was the first debate. i think history will long record that if he survives that debate was something unprecedented. i have never seen anything like that in my lifetime, when a man who had to convince the country was a strong leader disappeared from the stage. on the romney side, i think the 47% comment, and you twin that with his appearance at the republican national convention in his acceptance speech not mentioning at one moment any of the military sacrifices that are being made in this country by working class families all across america. it did not come up in the two longest wars in america's history. and the right went after him more strongly than the left.