Bob Cesca, 10/17/12

Host of The Bob & Chez Show, Media Producer

This was arguably one of those historic debate sequences which I believe will be replayed for many years to come. The challenger, riding a wave of solid polls following a strong first debate, literally imploded on the national stage.

Robert Reich, 10/17/12

Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley; Author, 'Beyond Outrage'

Tuesday night our president was articulate and forceful -- in sharp contrast to his performance in the first presidential debate. He stated his beliefs. He defended his record. He told America where he wanted to take the nation in his second term.

Dan Froomkin, 10/17/12

Senior Washington Correspondent, Huffington Post

Far from reversing the Bush-Cheney executive power grab, President Obama is taking it to new extremes. More than a decade after it started, we still have no clue how much the government is listening in on us or reading our email. And the government's response to this unprecedented secrecy is a war on leaks.

Wendy Fontaine, 10/17/12

Writer, Mother and Graduate Student

I was annoyed during most of last night's presidential debate, but when Mitt Romney insinuated that single-parent families are to blame for gun violence in America, my blood pressure shot through the roof.

Robert L. Borosage, 10/17/12

President, Institute for America's Future

This was the debate that finally exposed Mitt Romney as an empty suit running a campaign that is disingenuous at its core. The president exposed to millions of Americans just how hollow Romney's claims are.

Arianna Huffington, 10/16/12

It's fun to see how a candidate responds to a zinger, but it'd be much more instructive to see how a candidate goes about seeking information that he doesn't know.

Richard (RJ) Eskow, 10/17/12

Writer; host, 'The Breakdown'; Senior Fellow, Campaign for America's Future

We heard a lot of discussion about employment and economic recovery. But there wasn't much talk about why the economy's in such bad shape. No mention of the bankers whose illegal and unethical behavior triggered the financial crisis.

Melissa Ross, 10/17/12

Host/Producer, First Coast Connect, WJCT-FM

Rock on, Golden Globes! It's sure to be a rollicking affair with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler at the helm.

David Coates, 10/17/12

Worrell Professor of Anglo-American Studies, Wake Forest University, Department of Politics

One of the most telling questions in the second debate focused on the gender pay gap: asking in what ways the candidates would "rectify the inequalities in the workplace. The Romney answer was an embarrassment and the president could have said more.

Mark Gongloff, 10/17/12

Chief financial writer, The Huffington Post

If you're mad about Wall Street pay, take heart: At least one guy on Wall Street seems to get it. He's not going to give back any of his own pay or anything like that! That would be crazy. But at least somebody out there feels your pain.

Doug Bandow, 10/17/12

Senior Fellow, the Cato Institute

While the two leading presidential candidates play to America's worst political demons, the U.S. public supports a more measured approach to China.

Jared Bernstein, 10/17/12

Fmr. Obama administration economist; CNBC and MSNBC contributor

The recovery is a mixed bag, but nothing like the dark picture that Gov Romney and his supporters have been trying to paint. We're slowly sailing out of a storm.

Don Tapscott, 10/17/12

Advisor to government and business leaders; Author, 'Macrowikinomics'

Apple doesn't want its workers leaking information to the media or blogosphere. But increasingly Apple pays a price for this employee secrecy. It doesn't get the serendipitous collaboration across company silos that many other businesses enjoy.

John Stockwell, 10/17/12

Director, 'Seal Team 6'

If you aired a movie two days before a presidential election, could it change the outcome of the election? If the election is going to be as tight as predicted, could the retelling of one of the highlights of the president's first term capture enough undecided voters to have a real impact?

Kathleen Reardon, 10/17/12

Professor, USC Marshall School; Author, "The Secret Handshake" and "Comebacks At Work"

This is an election, Mr. Romney, not a date. Women don't want to feel special. They want to earn a living and feed their families. To influence how workingwomen are going to vote, you would have to talk to them as voters.

Jim David, 10/17/12

Comedian and writer

I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and have a million-dollar organization tell me that my marriage has no value and is harmful to society, so here, using my own marriage as evidence, I list the ways that same-sex marriage can benefit society as a whole.

Robert Naiman, 10/17/12

Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy

"The U.S. missile-attacks destroy militant training compounds and cars but they also hit mosques, homes, religious schools and civilian vehicles. I witnessed the fear, stress and depression this causes for the tribal communities on a visit to the region in May."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 10/17/12

U.S. Senator from California

Malala was targeted because she refused to remain silent as the Taliban turned women and girls into second-class citizens. She was targeted because she was an advocate for education. We cannot remain silent.

Jeffrey C. Alexander, 10/17/12

Professor of Sociology and co-director of the Center for Cultural Sociology at Yale University

Dramatic plots turn on epiphanic moments of revelation. Republicans know how to lie with statistics, but they may find it difficult to resist a dramatic moment of moral truth last night.

Alex Frey, 10/17/12

Author, 'A Beginner's Guide to Investing'

Just as you can't look to the government for a job, people in our generation increasingly cannot look to it for our retirements. You might have heard it mentioned just a few times last night that the government has to borrow huge amounts of money every year to pay its bills.

Erika Lade, 10/17/12

Graduate student; cancer thriver

I was suddenly spurned out into the churning, frenetic nature of Manhattan with beguiling news. I had cancer. And pretty bad, too.

Russell Simmons, 10/17/12

Founder, GlobalGrind.com

We have allowed our government to be bought and sold by a few lobbyists and the billionaires and millionaires who line their pockets with oil, prison, war, gun and insurance money.

Rick Schwartz, 10/17/12

Film producer

Now that I'm segueing into my new career as a software titan/media mogul shameless self-promoter, I thought it would be nice to use my years of experience in the Hollywood trenches to give something back -- you know, to the kids just starting out.

Tom Gaulrapp, 10/16/12

33-year Sensata employee

On Monday, November 5th Bain Capital is outsourcing my job to China. On Tuesday, November 6th I'm casting my vote against Mitt Romney.