[LoveBug]

In such a narrow presidential race I don't think its a stretch to say that who will be the President of the United States next term could greatly hinge on these debates.

October 3 - Domestic Policy

October 11 - Foreign and Domestic Topics (Vice Presidential)

October 16 - Town meeting format

October 22 - Foreign Policy

I've been looking forward to tonight, I believe you can learn a lot about the competence of a politician in debates

[vinman]

Politics is show business for ugly people. The debates are rigged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NXhoP5bQ2M

[tenderman100]

These debates are a sham, especially when moderated by journalists.

The journalist will ask a question, and the candidate will spout talking points for a few minutes.

And the whole thing hinges on non-substantive stuff the "there you again moment" or the sighing.

What we should have is Lincoln-Douglas style debates. Or debates where the discussion is predicated on a resolved issue

Resolved -- we should raise taxes to close the deficit.

Resolved -- we should repeal Obamacare.

Then candidates take turns, and the moderator is simple a timekeeper.

But it will never happen.

[speakeasy]

(10-03-2012 06:13 PM)tenderman100 Wrote:  

What we should have is Lincoln-Douglas style debates.

Such a debate would have a TV audience of about 10 in this day and age. Nobody has that sort of attention span or mind for nuance.

The debates will be of value in that it gives incumbents a chance to defend their record without the use of a teleprompter. You also get a chance of how sharp they are.

[kosko]

There is a Bi-partisan group which now controls the debates. All venues, moderators, questions are through this group. In the past at least both sides would haggle with a middle person or group deciding.. Openly. Now it's all done behind closed doors.

It's all rigged. Questions are known prior, if not they are thrown softballs and lobs.

[speakeasy]

What do you mean by rigged? That the entire debate is scripted? Or that nothing is impromptu? I didn't know if they get the exact questions in advance but you can assume that the debate coaches will have them rehearse what will be the most likely questions. We all know someone is going to ask about unemployment, or the deficit, or gay marriage or what we should do about Iran. Of course they have prepared their answers to all the most obvious and pressing questions.

I don't know what you specifically mean by scripted.

[LoveBug]

I think the pressure is going to be on Mitt, as he trails Obama coming down the stretch. If he doesn't impress during the debates he's pretty much done

[painter]

These debates are going to be like boxing matches. These guys are fighting for the future of the free world... very intense.

[LoveBug]

Romney doing better so far than I thought he would..

[Therapsid]

I voted for Obama, but I'm bored of his rhetoric.

He constantly talks about how investing for the future will help the economy grow. Yeah, except the economy is barely growing. Less than 2% GDP growth is terrible by historical standards. It's just above recession rates.

Moreover, he talks about jobs created under Clinton. Except that whereas the 90's saw 23 million new jobs, Obama's seen 4 million. Easy retort to the President: You're no Clinton.

Having said that, I doubt things would be much better if McCain had been elected. America is looking increasingly like a decadent, stagnant nation which along with its manhood has lost its elan and sense of entrepreneurial spirit.

[painter]

Damn, Romney is just killing Obama in this debate.

[speakeasy]

(10-03-2012 08:44 PM)painter Wrote:  

Damn, Romney is just killing Obama in this debate.

Not really. I don't think there's been any knockout blows or clear winner so far. I'm actually kind of bored with this debate already. Was hoping for more blood.

[painter]

One of them is using facts, the other lives in an alternate reality... it's plain to see

[speakeasy]

Anyone watching CNN? They have a ticker below of undecided voters split between men and women. Women are seem more behind Obama, men more behind Romney amongst undecideds.

[EisenBarde]

The twitter feed on the abcnews youtube is HILARIOUS

[Tex Pro]

So far, this debate is pretty even and pretty damn boring.

I was wrong: these debates are not going to swing anyone.

Time for attack ads.

[speakeasy]

Ok, I'd say overall, Romney did better in the debate because he came across as more fluid and polished. Obama seemed rusty and once again maybe a bit too professorial. I don't think either was dealt a major blow. On substantive issues there was nothing really new to learn. I was more curious to see how they came across and how well they engaged the audience.

It is kind of expected that Romney should have won this debate since it was mostly about the economy and that is where Obama polls weakest. On foreign policy, Obama is much stronger and I expect Obama's performance there to be better.

I don't think this debate is going to change many minds and overall I found it pretty boring.

On the electoral map, Romney is still struggling and history shows that presidential debates don't usually change the polling numbers much.

[Tbone]

(10-03-2012 09:06 PM)painter Wrote:  

One of them is using facts, the other lives in an alternate reality... it's plain to see

We don't know who tells the truth because politicians are great at spin. I rely more on fact check organizations.

[Zebra_Cakes]

Romney won. Obama looked tired and defeated through out. My guess is that because this was heavily focused on the Economy, it helped Romney. I expect the Foreign Policy debate to be in favor of Obama.

I don't think this will sway too many voters. Most people already know who they're going to vote for. I still think Obama pulls out a victory in the end, but i do believe that this race will be a lot closer than people assume.

[chyamor]

Interesting point was just made, The next few days twitter and facebook will be on fire with facts both made and how much of those facts where true and how many where lies. I wonder how big of an impact that will make in polls done next week

[chochemonger1]

(10-03-2012 10:08 PM)Zebra_Cakes Wrote:  

Romney won. Obama looked tired and defeated through out. My guess is that because this was heavily focused on the Economy, it helped Romney. I expect the Foreign Policy debate to be in favor of Obama.

I don't think this will sway too many voters. Most people already know who they're going to vote for. I still think Obama pulls out a victory in the end, but i do believe that this race will be a lot closer than people assume.

Yes Zebra, Obama looked damn tired......a shadow of the candidate of hope he was in 2008. A president grows old fast. What is sad is that it doesnt matter who wins; none of the rwo will bring real change to America.

[speakeasy]

(10-03-2012 10:40 PM)chyamor Wrote:  

Interesting point was just made, The next few days twitter and facebook will be on fire with facts both made and how much of those facts where true and how many where lies. I wonder how big of an impact that will make in polls done next week

Probably not much. Average people generally don't like getting bogged down with policy details. More important for a candidate is making an emotional connection with the voter and instilling confidence. In that sense it's not much different than game. Do women choose men for logical reasons? Or do they choose a man based on how that man makes her feel. Politics is game as well. If you make the electorate feel good and confident about you, the small details of your policies are not as important. At the end of the day, I'm not sure many people will care whether whether it's true if Romney is really cutting 5 trillion in taxes or not.

[ElJefe]

I haven't seen the debate yet, but everyone seems to agree Obama got creamed, except the most delirious Democrats. It looks like Chris Christie was right, the 2-to-1 majority that expected Obama to dominate was taken by surprise, and Obama was, by most accounts, humiliated.

Not saying this will have anything to do with the final results, but it's telling how the story goes:

From: Obama is going to win easily, no one as dumb as Romney stands a chance.

To: Romney lied. Lehrer was incompetent. The debates don't matter
anyways.

Even Speakeasy is belittling how badly BO got mauled.

I look forward to watching it.

[painter]

It was brutal. That's what sucks about being a politician, you have to stand there and take a beating and Obama got knocked out. The thrill is gone.

[ManAbout]

(10-03-2012 10:08 PM)Zebra_Cakes Wrote:  

Romney won. Obama looked tired

Yes, of course Obama looked tired. He is running the country AND running a presidential campaign. He is doing double the amount Romney is doing on a daily basis. Other than campaign, and prepare for debates, and attend fundraisers what does Romney do all day long? He is retired. Running for president is his full time job. He has been doing it for years.

Obama has a country to run as well. Yes, he is tired.