Gallup, for example, showed that Obama’s five-point lead evaporated in the three days after the debate, leaving both candidates tied at 47 percent.
At a Oct. 7 fund-raiser featuring performances by several culture-industry entertainers, Obama tried to reassure donors by portraying his defeat as a rare lapse on his part.
“These guys — and everybody here — are just incredible professionals. … They just perform flawlessly night after night.”
“I can’t always say the same,” he added after a moment, prompting laughs from his supporters.
Later during in the same event, held at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater, he tried to reassure nervous supporters that he won in 2008 despite some errors.
“Back in 2008 … we made all kinds of mistakes. We goofed up. I goofed up,” he said, without identifying his error.
“Even with all the things we had going for us — all the way that things just kind of converged, 47 percent of the country still didn’t vote for me. … I just want to point that out.”
