Please explain the 1st debate "bounce" to me

[Antonio the Sixth]

Romney may have closed slightly without it, but there is no way the money would have kept rolling in nor would he have been "really in it" without that first big debate win. The problem for Romney was that he needed a second debate win, preferably at the townhall debate to finish the job with regards to the comeback and instead that was a disaster.

Romney's performance in the second debate was not much worse than in the first. The difference was all on Obama's side.