back the White House."
In his first public appearance since trumping Obama in the first of three one-on-one debates, the former Massachusetts governor pursued attacks on what he portrayed as the president's continuing expansion of government.
"I saw the president's vision as trickle-down government and I don't think that's what America believes in," Romney said. "I see instead a prosperity that comes through freedom."
Obama turned in a lethargic and sometimes irritable performance, allowing a pumped-up Romney an opening in a White House race that had been trending away from the Republican after weeks of gaffes.
The president's campaign team signalled that it understood Obama's performance was below par and promised a rethink before the next clash in New York state in two weeks time.
The question now is whether Romney's debate performanceeconomy of Midland was essentially agricultural with some textile-related manufacturing jobs. With the growth of Charlotte to the west, farming has played a decreasing role in the economic life of the town. Increasingly, Midland has become a bedroom community for those commuting to work  in nearby Charlotte and Concord. For many years, there were very few "outsiders" moving to Midland, but over the past two decades, many people with no familial roots in the area have settled there. New residents are attracted to the area for its lower taxes, less expensive housing and real estate prices, and a more rural flavor than that which is to be found in Charlotte or the surrounding larger communities.

The Reed Gold Mine, site of the first discovery of gold in the