( CNN ) -- So it looks like President Obama got the message . In his second debate with Mitt Romney , the president delivered a comeback performance that will stand as a model for future debaters of how to right a listing ship . Obama was as good in Hempstead as he was bad in Denver . In fact , this may have been the finest debate of his career and just at the moment when he needed it most . CNN Poll : Nearly half say Obama won showdown . Navigating the tricky shoals of the town hall format , the president laid out a persuasive case for re-election , point by point , drawing sharp contrasts with his opponent while avoiding rudeness . Obama 's arguments were not always as succinctly stated as they needed to be , and he too often strayed far from the topic at hand . But by the end of the debate , he had checked off pretty much every item on his list of `` Things I Should Have Done in Denver . '' It was Obama the community organizer who showed up , a man with a message to sell and an audience to sell it to . His interaction with the participants was confident , engaged and energetic , all the qualities he had failed to muster in Round 1 . He appeared to draw strength from the 82 citizens on the stage , strength that grew as the evening progressed . At times Romney seemed taken aback by this fresh incarnation of the debater he had bested two weeks ago . Both substantively and stylistically , Romney operated in Obama 's shadow in this match , second banana to the president 's leading man . Clearly this was not the role Romney intended to play . Romney 's defining moments were too frequently negative . His attempts to directly confront the president carried plenty of dramatic charge , but they did n't quite play out the way they must have in rehearsal . These maneuvers left an impression more of petulance than leadership . 'Binders full of women ' raises brows . The thing that really gets Romney exercised in these debates is when he thinks he 's not getting his due , which means he wastes far too much time demanding another minute or the final say or a chance to go back to something from a previous answer . Romney may believe this assertiveness makes him look strong and in command . More likely it reinforces a negative perception that the candidate needs to dispel : that of a plutocrat grabbing every last crumb he thinks he deserves . The town hall debate was a particularly inappropriate setting for Romney to display this side of himself . Romney 's chief problem was that he did not connect to the audience as effectively as Obama did . This became apparent every time Romney began a response with `` I appreciate that '' or `` that 's an important question , '' words that signaled his discomfort with many of the topics the voters wanted to discuss , like equal pay for women , banning assault weapons or immigration . Obama 's big moments were more positive , especially , and unexpectedly , on the topic of Libya . Staring daggers at his opponent , the president said it was `` offensive '' for Romney to suggest that the White House had sought political gain from the murder of an American ambassador and three others . When moderator Candy Crowley backed up Obama 's version of events over Romney 's , the president got off one of the few funny lines of the night : `` Could you say that a little louder ? '' Opinion : Obama bounces back , dominates debate . Obama also delivered a clever rejoinder in a back-and-forth about the candidates ' personal finances . After the president brought up his rival 's overseas investments , Romney cited Obama 's own holdings : `` Have you looked at your pension ? '' `` It 's not as big as yours , '' came the answer , `` so I do n't look at it that often . '' Advantage , Obama . One of Romney 's lowest points came when a woman in the audience asked him to differentiate between himself and former President George W. Bush . The governor 's response might have been written by the staff of `` Saturday Night Live : '' `` President Bush and I are different people and these are different times , '' he said . `` That 's why my five-point plan is so different from what he would have done . '' Not exactly a sound bite for the ages . Before this debate , I wondered whether Obama would acknowledge the elephant in the room : his shoddy performance in Round 1 . Would he make a joke about it , or tell a cute story about what Michelle had said that night ? Turns out he did n't need to . Obama 's performance spoke for itself . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alan Schroeder .
Alan Schroeder : President Obama delivered a comeback performance in second debate . Schroeder : Obama connected with the audience , Romney less so . The president was more animated and seemed to be enjoying himself as he talked about his plans for health care reform. Schroeder : Substantively and stylistically , Romney operated in Obama 's shadow .