Thousands of President Obama supporters turned out in in Madison, Wisc., for a rally following Wednesday night’s debate in Denver. The mood was somber, to say the least, as they waited to enter Bascom Mall at the University of Wisconsin Thursday afternoon. University of Wisconsin students and fellow Wisconsinites had mixed reviews on the president’s performance.

I talked to supporters of the president who had watched the debate, asking how they thought the president did. One after the other said they were left unimpressed and “not inspired,” seemingly depressed and lethargic in their continuing support of the president.

More than half the people I asked, who thought the president could have done better, said “it wasn’t fair” that President Obama was not allowed to use his teleprompter in the debate. And while a handful of supporters did say teleprompters had no place in the debate, one thought it was not only unfair to President Obama but both candidates.

While many supporters waited in line to see their president said they would still support him despite his lackluster performance Wednesday, it appears that Mitt Romney’s stellar performance not only energized voters on the right but also penetrated through to some of President Obama’s base. After asking one University of Wisconsin student, unimpressed with the president’s performance, if he was in fact an Obama supporter, he replied, “the debate changed it…”

Other supporters of the president were left without any explanation as to what went wrong. One woman shrugged in disbelief, “maybe it was his anniversary, maybe he was tired?”