Post by LWPD on Oct 3, 2012 18:53:07 GMT -5
An interesting article ahead of tonight's first Presidential Debate. Included is a printable Debate Scorecard for the hardcore political fan!
Courtesy of Palm Beach Post
How to watch a presidential debate
By Laura Green
Just as the Super Bowl captures viewers who’d rather fold laundry than watch a regular season football game, presidential debates appeal reaches beyond political junkies to voters who haven’t been following the campaign.
Debates represent a chance to watch a zinger with a shelf life of decades and for millions of Americans to tune in just weeks before the election.
“This is part of the iconic American political landscape,” said Robert Watson, a professor at Lynn University, which will play host to the final presidential debate this election cycle. “It’s great drama; this is like the gladiators’ ring. We’re all sitting back and giving them the pink slip or report card.”
More than 63 million viewers watched the second debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. About 70 million saw Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden face off, making it the most-watched vice presidential debate in history.
Watson said this year’s debates could be more important than usual.
“Even though so many people have made their mind up, we all know this is going to be a nail biter and come down to a few critical counties in a few states,” Watson said.
While Obama and Mitt Romney have well-practiced stump speeches, the debate is a chance for Americans to hear them directly answer specific questions or artfully try to dodge them.
“The crucial independent voters, the low-interest voters, the persuadable often learn a lot from those debates,” said J. Michael Hogan, director of The Center for Democratic Deliberation at Pennsylvania State University.
Obama and Mitt Romney will have three debates. Wednesday’s will focus on domestic policy. It will cover the economy, health care, the role of government and governing. The Oct. 16 debate will be a town hall with questions from the audience.
The final debate, Oct. 22 at Lynn University, will feature foreign policy. With so many potentially explosive issues across the globe, foreign policy may be important than usual in this election.
“There’s China, the Middle East — Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Iran,” said Annie Groer, a long-time Washington journalist and a panelist on the first George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis debate. “They will beat each other to pieces over Israel.”
The former Orlando Sentinel writer added: “There’s also a Euro crisis.”
For those planning to tune in to Wednesday night’s debate, Groer has a few tips.
“I would advise people to watch it with friends of all political persuasions,” she said. “You want to see how the other person’s team feels they are doing.”
Groer also prefers to watch the debate unfiltered on CSPAN rather than allowing commentators to talk over any part of it. After the debate, she follows Tweets and watches journalists she trusts.
But Hogan suggests tuning out any political spinners or analysts. Instead, he says, give the debate a moment to sink in and make up your own mind.
Viewers should watch how the candidate responds, but also evaluate the question, Hogan said.
To him, a presidential debate should be about getting to the substance of what the candidates believe and plan to do. Too often, he said, the questions fail to do that.
“Sometimes the media does pursue an agenda that is focused more on misstatements and gaffes and errors the candidates have made than the larger substantive issues,” he said. “Personally, I don’t think the fact that someone worded something wrong and it created a media frenzy for three days is the way we want to judge those candidates.”
Or to put more simply: “Sometimes the questions don’t deserve to be answered,” he said.
“This isn’t a sporting contest,” Hogan said. “It’s about electing a president. The overall emphasis on who won and who lost I think is unfortunate.”
And yet after tonight’s debate, analysts and viewers will likely crown either Obama or Romney the winner. For the loser, that may or may not mean much.
“Debates are important and they’re not important,” Watson said. “It’s possible to win a debate and lose an election. It’s possible to lose a debate and win an election.”
________________________________________________________
Source: Professor Robert Watson, Lynn University
How to Score the Debates
Assign points to the candidates based on your own perception of how they performed. This scorecard uses measurements that are widely agreed upon by analysts and scholars as keys to winning political debates. The 10 categories used to assign points to the candidates are:
1. Goals
Did the candidates do what they needed to do? Candidates have goals going into the debate, such as appealing to older voters, or alleviating concerns about an unpopular vote they may have cast during their careers.
2. Appeal to base
Did the candidates firm up his base of support? Did the candidate say what his base needed to hear to get them to voting booth?
3. Appeal to swing voters
Did the candidates appeal to undecided and swing voters? This is important because many elections are close and undecided or “swing” voters are often the key to victory.
4. Control the agenda
Did the candidates control the agenda of the debate? Who set the tone, stayed on message and discussed positions on his terms, leaving his opponent to respond.
5. Personal exchanges
When the candidates addressed one another personally, who got the best of the exchange? Did one candidate appear more presidential or more petulant?
6. Content of answers
Did the candidates answer the questions and do so in an accurate, knowledgeable, and confident manner? Did the candidate evade questions he didn’t want to answer artfully or clumsily?
7. Leadership
Did the candidates project leadership in demeanor, appearance, and in their answers, while avoiding looking nervous, tired, and insincere.
8. Zingers and blunders
Did the candidates deliver catchy lines or make embarrassing mistakes? The most memorable moments in debates are often witty one-liners or embarrassing gaffes.
9. Open
Were the opening comments of the candidates strong and memorable? First impressions are lasting and debates are no exceptions, as the opening allows candidates to set the tone.
10. Close
Did the candidates conclude the debate on a high note and with a memorable closing remark? The final remarks are often what people remember and a good debater can wrap up the debate with an effective close.
Scorecard Explanation
Give the candidates points in each of the 10 aforementioned categories. The points range from minus two to two, as noted below. Total the points for each candidate. The candidate with the most points wins.
Total score
Points
+2 = The candidate really helped him/herself in the category
+1 = The candidate somewhat helped him/herself in the category
0 = The candidate was neutral, neither helping nor harming him/herself
-1 = The candidate somewhat harmed him/herself in the category
-2 = The candidate really harmed him/herself in the category
Today’s presidential debate
9 to 10:30 p.m.
Television coverage on all major networks
The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six segments of about 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator.
Last month, those topics were announced as:
The Economy - I
The Economy - II
The Economy - III
Health Care
The Role of Government
Governing
(They are subject to change based on news developments and will not necessarily to be brought up in order)
The moderator will open each segment with a question, and each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.
Moderator: Jim Lehrer of PBS
Location: University of Denver
Upcoming debates
Vice presidential debate (Oct. 11, 2012, Centre College, Danville, Ky.)
The debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics and be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question.
Moderator: Martha Raddatz, ABC News
Second presidential debate (Oct. 16, 2012, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY)
The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion. Participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.
Moderator: Candy Crowley of CNN
Third presidential debate (Oct. 22, Lynn University, Boca Raton)
The format will be identical to the first presidential debate and will focus on foreign policy.
Moderator: Bob Schieffer of CBS
Source: Commission on Presidential Debates
Courtesy of Palm Beach Post
How to watch a presidential debate
By Laura Green
Just as the Super Bowl captures viewers who’d rather fold laundry than watch a regular season football game, presidential debates appeal reaches beyond political junkies to voters who haven’t been following the campaign.
Debates represent a chance to watch a zinger with a shelf life of decades and for millions of Americans to tune in just weeks before the election.
“This is part of the iconic American political landscape,” said Robert Watson, a professor at Lynn University, which will play host to the final presidential debate this election cycle. “It’s great drama; this is like the gladiators’ ring. We’re all sitting back and giving them the pink slip or report card.”
More than 63 million viewers watched the second debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. About 70 million saw Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden face off, making it the most-watched vice presidential debate in history.
Watson said this year’s debates could be more important than usual.
“Even though so many people have made their mind up, we all know this is going to be a nail biter and come down to a few critical counties in a few states,” Watson said.
While Obama and Mitt Romney have well-practiced stump speeches, the debate is a chance for Americans to hear them directly answer specific questions or artfully try to dodge them.
“The crucial independent voters, the low-interest voters, the persuadable often learn a lot from those debates,” said J. Michael Hogan, director of The Center for Democratic Deliberation at Pennsylvania State University.
Obama and Mitt Romney will have three debates. Wednesday’s will focus on domestic policy. It will cover the economy, health care, the role of government and governing. The Oct. 16 debate will be a town hall with questions from the audience.
The final debate, Oct. 22 at Lynn University, will feature foreign policy. With so many potentially explosive issues across the globe, foreign policy may be important than usual in this election.
“There’s China, the Middle East — Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Iran,” said Annie Groer, a long-time Washington journalist and a panelist on the first George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis debate. “They will beat each other to pieces over Israel.”
The former Orlando Sentinel writer added: “There’s also a Euro crisis.”
For those planning to tune in to Wednesday night’s debate, Groer has a few tips.
“I would advise people to watch it with friends of all political persuasions,” she said. “You want to see how the other person’s team feels they are doing.”
Groer also prefers to watch the debate unfiltered on CSPAN rather than allowing commentators to talk over any part of it. After the debate, she follows Tweets and watches journalists she trusts.
But Hogan suggests tuning out any political spinners or analysts. Instead, he says, give the debate a moment to sink in and make up your own mind.
Viewers should watch how the candidate responds, but also evaluate the question, Hogan said.
To him, a presidential debate should be about getting to the substance of what the candidates believe and plan to do. Too often, he said, the questions fail to do that.
“Sometimes the media does pursue an agenda that is focused more on misstatements and gaffes and errors the candidates have made than the larger substantive issues,” he said. “Personally, I don’t think the fact that someone worded something wrong and it created a media frenzy for three days is the way we want to judge those candidates.”
Or to put more simply: “Sometimes the questions don’t deserve to be answered,” he said.
“This isn’t a sporting contest,” Hogan said. “It’s about electing a president. The overall emphasis on who won and who lost I think is unfortunate.”
And yet after tonight’s debate, analysts and viewers will likely crown either Obama or Romney the winner. For the loser, that may or may not mean much.
“Debates are important and they’re not important,” Watson said. “It’s possible to win a debate and lose an election. It’s possible to lose a debate and win an election.”
________________________________________________________
Source: Professor Robert Watson, Lynn University
How to Score the Debates
Assign points to the candidates based on your own perception of how they performed. This scorecard uses measurements that are widely agreed upon by analysts and scholars as keys to winning political debates. The 10 categories used to assign points to the candidates are:
1. Goals
Did the candidates do what they needed to do? Candidates have goals going into the debate, such as appealing to older voters, or alleviating concerns about an unpopular vote they may have cast during their careers.
2. Appeal to base
Did the candidates firm up his base of support? Did the candidate say what his base needed to hear to get them to voting booth?
3. Appeal to swing voters
Did the candidates appeal to undecided and swing voters? This is important because many elections are close and undecided or “swing” voters are often the key to victory.
4. Control the agenda
Did the candidates control the agenda of the debate? Who set the tone, stayed on message and discussed positions on his terms, leaving his opponent to respond.
5. Personal exchanges
When the candidates addressed one another personally, who got the best of the exchange? Did one candidate appear more presidential or more petulant?
6. Content of answers
Did the candidates answer the questions and do so in an accurate, knowledgeable, and confident manner? Did the candidate evade questions he didn’t want to answer artfully or clumsily?
7. Leadership
Did the candidates project leadership in demeanor, appearance, and in their answers, while avoiding looking nervous, tired, and insincere.
8. Zingers and blunders
Did the candidates deliver catchy lines or make embarrassing mistakes? The most memorable moments in debates are often witty one-liners or embarrassing gaffes.
9. Open
Were the opening comments of the candidates strong and memorable? First impressions are lasting and debates are no exceptions, as the opening allows candidates to set the tone.
10. Close
Did the candidates conclude the debate on a high note and with a memorable closing remark? The final remarks are often what people remember and a good debater can wrap up the debate with an effective close.
Scorecard Explanation
Give the candidates points in each of the 10 aforementioned categories. The points range from minus two to two, as noted below. Total the points for each candidate. The candidate with the most points wins.
Total score
Points
+2 = The candidate really helped him/herself in the category
+1 = The candidate somewhat helped him/herself in the category
0 = The candidate was neutral, neither helping nor harming him/herself
-1 = The candidate somewhat harmed him/herself in the category
-2 = The candidate really harmed him/herself in the category
Today’s presidential debate
9 to 10:30 p.m.
Television coverage on all major networks
The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six segments of about 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator.
Last month, those topics were announced as:
The Economy - I
The Economy - II
The Economy - III
Health Care
The Role of Government
Governing
(They are subject to change based on news developments and will not necessarily to be brought up in order)
The moderator will open each segment with a question, and each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.
Moderator: Jim Lehrer of PBS
Location: University of Denver
Upcoming debates
Vice presidential debate (Oct. 11, 2012, Centre College, Danville, Ky.)
The debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics and be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question.
Moderator: Martha Raddatz, ABC News
Second presidential debate (Oct. 16, 2012, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY)
The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion. Participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.
Moderator: Candy Crowley of CNN
Third presidential debate (Oct. 22, Lynn University, Boca Raton)
The format will be identical to the first presidential debate and will focus on foreign policy.
Moderator: Bob Schieffer of CBS
Source: Commission on Presidential Debates
