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| Presidential debates: six things we've learned so far | Presidential debates: six things we've learned so far |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| We're officially over the debate hump – three down, one to go. What a strange trip it's been. Along the way we've reconnected with our friend Big Bird, revived that old-fangled word "malarkey!" and, much to our surprise, been told that professional women can best be found in binders. | We're officially over the debate hump – three down, one to go. What a strange trip it's been. Along the way we've reconnected with our friend Big Bird, revived that old-fangled word "malarkey!" and, much to our surprise, been told that professional women can best be found in binders. |
| In all seriousness, we have also learned quite a bit about how these vaunted debates work. Before it's too late and the final presidential match is upon us, we think it's worth taking a look back. Using what we've learned from producing our post-debate decoders – features that track the questions moderators ask and how candidates answer them – we've penned this quick list. | In all seriousness, we have also learned quite a bit about how these vaunted debates work. Before it's too late and the final presidential match is upon us, we think it's worth taking a look back. Using what we've learned from producing our post-debate decoders – features that track the questions moderators ask and how candidates answer them – we've penned this quick list. |
| 1. Debates can make a difference | 1. Debates can make a difference |
| Before the first match of the 2012 season, there was an outpouring of opinion on how debates "aren't game-changers" and that they "don't really matter". But then Romney went and unexpectedly won the first debate, and the crowds went wild – or at least the media did. | Before the first match of the 2012 season, there was an outpouring of opinion on how debates "aren't game-changers" and that they "don't really matter". But then Romney went and unexpectedly won the first debate, and the crowds went wild – or at least the media did. |
| That first match – which was watched by 67.2 million people around the country – gave Romney a four-point bump in the polls, a dramatic swing. How much of that bonus can be chalked up to his performance, and how much to the flood of media chatter is another question entirely, but the bottom line: debates can matter. | That first match – which was watched by 67.2 million people around the country – gave Romney a four-point bump in the polls, a dramatic swing. How much of that bonus can be chalked up to his performance, and how much to the flood of media chatter is another question entirely, but the bottom line: debates can matter. |
| 2. Only 17 questions have so far been asked of the next president | 2. Only 17 questions have so far been asked of the next president |
| It's been an eternity since the first presidential debate of this election cycle – or at least it seems like one. Yet, only 17 questions (not including follow-ups) have been asked of the presidential candidates so far, and nearly two-thirds of them came from Tuesday's town hall. | It's been an eternity since the first presidential debate of this election cycle – or at least it seems like one. Yet, only 17 questions (not including follow-ups) have been asked of the presidential candidates so far, and nearly two-thirds of them came from Tuesday's town hall. |
| Jim Lehrer, for his part, asked only six questions in the first debate, and those covered just four topics: the economy, healthcare, the role of government, and "governing", as he broke it down. Another six questions are expected to come out of the final debate. | Jim Lehrer, for his part, asked only six questions in the first debate, and those covered just four topics: the economy, healthcare, the role of government, and "governing", as he broke it down. Another six questions are expected to come out of the final debate. |
| The town hall format did better. Besides asking more questions overall, audience members' phrasing was more personal and more unexpected. Questions included one on gun rights, one on immigration, and one on women's rights in the workplace. | The town hall format did better. Besides asking more questions overall, audience members' phrasing was more personal and more unexpected. Questions included one on gun rights, one on immigration, and one on women's rights in the workplace. |
| The final question count should be 23, if we take tonight's upcoming debate into account, and that seems meager – especially since candidates don't always even answer them. | The final question count should be 23, if we take tonight's upcoming debate into account, and that seems meager – especially since candidates don't always even answer them. |
| 3. Questions on domestic policy have outplayed foreign | 3. Questions on domestic policy have outplayed foreign |
| Over two presidential debates so far, 16 questions have been asked about domestic policy, and one exclusively on foreign. Another six foreign policy questions should come out of the final debate. | Over two presidential debates so far, 16 questions have been asked about domestic policy, and one exclusively on foreign. Another six foreign policy questions should come out of the final debate. |
| Since the first and last debates are dedicated to domestic and foreign policy respectively – with the same number of questions in each – it's the second debate, the town hall, that can tip the equation towards domestic or foreign issues. Out of the 11 questions asked during the town hall debate on Tuesday night, only one – on the recent controversy over the Benghazi attacks – was squarely focused on foreign policy. The other 10 covered domestic issues, from gun rights to immigration to jobs and taxes. | Since the first and last debates are dedicated to domestic and foreign policy respectively – with the same number of questions in each – it's the second debate, the town hall, that can tip the equation towards domestic or foreign issues. Out of the 11 questions asked during the town hall debate on Tuesday night, only one – on the recent controversy over the Benghazi attacks – was squarely focused on foreign policy. The other 10 covered domestic issues, from gun rights to immigration to jobs and taxes. |
| In an election that remains tightly tied to the state of the economy, it may come as little surprise that it was the most talked about issue of the two presidential debates so far. In fact, the subject was dedicated three questions in each debate – including the vice-presidential match-up. That's the most question any one category was allotted by a wide margin. Subtopics included jobs, entitlements, taxes, and more. | In an election that remains tightly tied to the state of the economy, it may come as little surprise that it was the most talked about issue of the two presidential debates so far. In fact, the subject was dedicated three questions in each debate – including the vice-presidential match-up. That's the most question any one category was allotted by a wide margin. Subtopics included jobs, entitlements, taxes, and more. |
| 4. Attacks take up most of the candidates' time – and ours | 4. Attacks take up most of the candidates' time – and ours |
| "Attack dog" may traditionally be the VP candidate's role, but we found that Romney and Obama weren't averse to some mudslinging of their own. In the first debate we saw the president clock in 11 jabs to Romney's 16. The town hall setting of the second debate should have arguably been less attack-friendly since the candidates have to answer real audience members in real time, but that wasn't the case. | "Attack dog" may traditionally be the VP candidate's role, but we found that Romney and Obama weren't averse to some mudslinging of their own. In the first debate we saw the president clock in 11 jabs to Romney's 16. The town hall setting of the second debate should have arguably been less attack-friendly since the candidates have to answer real audience members in real time, but that wasn't the case. |
| Both Romney and Obama about doubled their attack counts this Tuesday: Obama coming in with 27 hits and Romney with 25. The veeps took their attacking seriously too, each putting in a whopping 30+ individual attacks during their first and only showdown. | Both Romney and Obama about doubled their attack counts this Tuesday: Obama coming in with 27 hits and Romney with 25. The veeps took their attacking seriously too, each putting in a whopping 30+ individual attacks during their first and only showdown. |
| 5. The candidates have been light on details | 5. The candidates have been light on details |
| Martha Raddatz pushed the two VP candidates for "specifics" many times during the vice-presidential debate – but her performance turned out to be more of an exception than a rule. In the second presidential match, Candy Crowley's follow-ups were more clear and forceful than Lehrer's in the first as she attempted to get at nuances between the candidates. But the challenges to provide detailed plans largely came from the candidates themselves in the form of attacks – though these arguments hardly made up for the lack of "specifics" we got from both sides. | Martha Raddatz pushed the two VP candidates for "specifics" many times during the vice-presidential debate – but her performance turned out to be more of an exception than a rule. In the second presidential match, Candy Crowley's follow-ups were more clear and forceful than Lehrer's in the first as she attempted to get at nuances between the candidates. But the challenges to provide detailed plans largely came from the candidates themselves in the form of attacks – though these arguments hardly made up for the lack of "specifics" we got from both sides. |
| The Washington Post's Ezra Klein posted to Facebook that we shouldn't interpret Obama's vague responses to mean that he doesn't have a plan for a second term. "It's just a hard one to campaign on," he wrote. "After promising in 2008 to bring about a new era of co-operation in Washington, they're campaigning in 2012 knowing that, if re-elected, they will start their second term with a brutal, economy-shaking showdown with Republicans over spending and taxes." | The Washington Post's Ezra Klein posted to Facebook that we shouldn't interpret Obama's vague responses to mean that he doesn't have a plan for a second term. "It's just a hard one to campaign on," he wrote. "After promising in 2008 to bring about a new era of co-operation in Washington, they're campaigning in 2012 knowing that, if re-elected, they will start their second term with a brutal, economy-shaking showdown with Republicans over spending and taxes." |
| 6. No one is really in charge | 6. No one is really in charge |
| Presidential debates are presented as almost platonic models of the democratic process – with clear-cut rules and processes. The debate commission sets the stage (both figuratively and literally) – making sure the candidates arrive, shake hands, exchange ideas, and the moderator gives them a slap on the wrist if they get out of line. In the end, one of the two men on stage is declared the winner. That's how it works theoretically. In reality, each and every debate is an ongoing negotiation among the moderators, debate commission, campaigns and candidates. | Presidential debates are presented as almost platonic models of the democratic process – with clear-cut rules and processes. The debate commission sets the stage (both figuratively and literally) – making sure the candidates arrive, shake hands, exchange ideas, and the moderator gives them a slap on the wrist if they get out of line. In the end, one of the two men on stage is declared the winner. That's how it works theoretically. In reality, each and every debate is an ongoing negotiation among the moderators, debate commission, campaigns and candidates. |
| Just take look at the moderators: the three so far – Lehrer and Crowley in presidential and Raddatz in the VP debate – have delivered very different performances. Lehrer was largely criticised for his light-handedness with the candidates. Raddatz's more forceful push for "specifics" earned her quite a bit of praise. Crowley fell somewhere in between. She suffered many interruptions by an aggressive Romney and Obama, but kept on fighting to keep pace. She also made headlines with a live fact-check, though this move received mixed reviews. But no matter how any of the moderators did, all three seem to struggle with the same problem: it's hard to establish and keep control, especially since no one really has to play by the rules. | Just take look at the moderators: the three so far – Lehrer and Crowley in presidential and Raddatz in the VP debate – have delivered very different performances. Lehrer was largely criticised for his light-handedness with the candidates. Raddatz's more forceful push for "specifics" earned her quite a bit of praise. Crowley fell somewhere in between. She suffered many interruptions by an aggressive Romney and Obama, but kept on fighting to keep pace. She also made headlines with a live fact-check, though this move received mixed reviews. But no matter how any of the moderators did, all three seem to struggle with the same problem: it's hard to establish and keep control, especially since no one really has to play by the rules. |
| The irony, is, of course, that the candidates sign off to the commission's debate rules, which include taking turns to answer a question rather than interrupting, and not asking each other direct questions. | The irony, is, of course, that the candidates sign off to the commission's debate rules, which include taking turns to answer a question rather than interrupting, and not asking each other direct questions. |
| The moderators, topics, and locations are decided by the campaigns in advance of the debates. Just take a look at the official debate memorandum obtained by Time's Mark Halperin. On page eight is where the campaigns agreed that during the 16 October debate the moderator should not ask follow-up questions. | The moderators, topics, and locations are decided by the campaigns in advance of the debates. Just take a look at the official debate memorandum obtained by Time's Mark Halperin. On page eight is where the campaigns agreed that during the 16 October debate the moderator should not ask follow-up questions. |
| As Jay Rosen put it in a recent piece for the Guardian: "No one is really in charge of the presidential debates. The situation is in charge." | As Jay Rosen put it in a recent piece for the Guardian: "No one is really in charge of the presidential debates. The situation is in charge." |
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