Ignoring polling data on Obama's debate performance, Chuck Todd said Obama was "judged as not winning"

Summary: On MSNBC's Hardball, Chuck Todd said that Sen. Barack Obama "was judged as not winning" the first presidential debate, asserting that "it was somewhat of a draw." But national post-debate polls contradict Todd's assertion, with Obama receiving higher marks from respondents than Sen. John McCain.

On the October 1 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, NBC News political director Chuck Todd said that Sen. Barack Obama "was judged as not winning" the first presidential debate, asserting that "it was somewhat of a draw." But national post-debate polls contradict Todd's assertion, with Obama receiving higher marks from respondents than Sen. John McCain.

When Hardball host Chris Matthews asked Todd whether Obama's gains in recent polls are due to the current financial crisis, Todd responded, "I think it's a combination of the economic backdrop and the debate. He didn't have a bad debate performance. I think, while he was judged as not winning that debate, I think, nobody thought he lost it, but nobody thought he won it going away either -- that it was somewhat of a draw."

In fact, according to CBS News and Gallup polls, Obama is widely considered to have won the September 26 debate. A CBS News poll found that, by a 20-point margin, respondents thought Obama won the debate: "Forty-one percent of registered voters, including more than half of those who watched it, said Obama came out on top; just 21 percent said McCain was the winner." Additionally, a USA Today/Gallup poll found that a "majority of debate watchers ... picked Obama over Republican John McCain when asked which candidate offered the best proposals to solve the country's problems, 52%-35%. They said Obama did better overall in the debate than McCain, 46%-34%."

Todd did not provide any evidence to support his assertion that Obama "was judged as not winning that debate."

From the October 1 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:

MATTHEWS: Welcome back to Hardball. And the latest pollster.com -- that's the nationwide average of polling -- shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by five points nationally and, more importantly, it seems like it's opening up there. A new Time magazine poll now shows Barack also leading McCain by 50 to 43 among likely voters, a seven-point edge. That would be -- before the convention, that was five.

Right now, a poll by the Associated Press also has Obama up by seven points, 48-41. And a new Pew Research Center poll finds Obama leading McCain 49-43. It's all interesting, guys. We have, joining us, Charlie Cook, right now, and our own Chuck Todd. Chuck's out in St. Louis already getting ready for the big debate tomorrow night. Chuck, you first -- what do you make of these polls? Is this just the -- is this the economic backdrop that's helping Barack?

TODD: Well, I think it's a combination of the economic backdrop and the debate. He didn't have a bad debate performance. I think, while he was judged as not winning that debate, I think, nobody thought he lost it, but nobody thought he won it going away either -- that it was somewhat of a draw. I think when you combine it with the economic stuff, he presented himself to a lot of voters, it looks like, as a plausible president, 'cause you're seeing a -- this is a shift. It was adrift before the debate.

MATTHEWS: Yeah.

TODD: This seems to be a steady movement now. He's ahead in pretty much every swing state where there has been a reasonably good poll. There's not a lot of good state polling that goes on these days, but even in the reasonably good ones, you're seeing Obama -- and in some of these states with a substantial lead.

MATTHEWS: Charlie.

—C.S.