Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of American studies, appeared on Midday with Dan Rodricks on Tuesday, October 9 to discuss the upcoming election. Moffitt discussed both the presidential election and Maryland ballot initiatives with Rodricks, the other guests, and callers. The first topic the group covered was the widespread consensus that Barack Obama lost the first presidential debate. This led to Mitt Romney’s poll numbers going up despite the fact that the unemployment rate fell below 8 percent. “Visuals make a difference for us. Being able to see Romney come out and be aggressive, seem confident and show us that he …