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Romney Camp Dumps New Debate Coach

Brett O'Donnell was getting too much credit: Politico

(Newser) - Today's lesson in the stroking of political egos: Team Romney has dropped newly added debate coach Brett O'Donnell, the man widely credited with engineering Romney's more aggressive (and successful) approach in the last debate, reports Politico . The problem? O'Donnell had been getting too much credit for... More »

We Need More Debates— and Loud Ones

Let the crowds make noise: David Weigel

(Newser) - The Republicans debate again tonight , and there's plenty of carping about how there's too many of these things. Not from David Weigel at Slate . He wants more, more, more. If they weren't debating, the candidates would be in choreographed campaign mode, which reveals little. "The ideal... More »

The Winner of the GOP Debates Is ...

Republicans so busy sniping, they help Obama shine: Barnes

(Newser) - The GOP presidential debates have distracted Americans so badly with their primetime drama that Republicans have created an unlikely winner: President Obama, sighs Fred Barnes in The Weekly Standard . "The GOP candidates have reduced themselves to supplicants whose weak points are probed by media questioners," Barnes writes. "... More »

Gingrich Wants 7 Long Debates With Obama

If nominee, he promises to follow the president until he accepts

(Newser) - Newt Gingrich stole the show last night at an important GOP dinner in Iowa, reports Politico . Two notables were missing, however: Mitt Romney and Herman Cain, the state's current front-runners. Still, Gingrich clearly roused the audience more than the rest of the field, including Rick Perry, and one proposal... More »

Whitman to Brown: You're Behind Housekeeper Story

Gubernatorial candidates let it fly in televised debate

(Newser) - Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown took the gloves off yesterday and went mano a mano over illegal immigration in a televised, Spanish language debate. Brown blasted Whitman for having employed an illegal maid, Nicandra Diaz Santillan . Whitman, in turn, accused him of being behind her sudden surfacing: "You... More »

Clinton, Bush to Debate

Radio City Music hall will host February event

(Newser) - Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will debate at Radio City Music Hall early next year. The two former presidents will square off as part of MSG Entertainment’s "Minds That Move the World" series. Topics will include the economy, foreign policy, and the current administration. Tickets start at... More »

McCain Didn't Manage to Inflict Major Damage

Comeback unlikely for grumpy-seeming Republican

(Newser) - The debate last night was all about whether John McCain could pull off a game-changer; while some pundits saw his best debate performance yet, most agreed that he didn't score.
  • Time’s Mark Halperin liked what he saw at first, as McCain "showed off the best of himself—dedicated,
... More »

Schieffer Vows to Get Straight Answers in Debate

Says he will get tough with both candidates

(Newser) - CBS veteran broadcaster Bob Schieffer has vowed to stand firm when he moderates the final presidential debate tonight, and will press the candidates to answer questions put to them, Politico reports. Jim Lehrer, Gwen Ifill and Tom Brokaw have come under fire for being too easy on candidates in previous... More »

These Hot-Button Issues Need Pressing in Last Debate

Abortion, Supreme Court among issues ignored in McCain-Obama encounters thus far

(Newser) - There's just one debate to go, and a surprising number of "hot buttons have gone unpressed," writes John J. Pitney, Jr. in the National Review. A search of the previous debates' transcripts turned up plenty of topics that demand a visit:
  • Abortion: “So far, nobody has even
... More »

Water Glasses? Hofstra Sweats the Debate Details

University bends over backwards for debate

(Newser) - Hofstra University, the host of Wednesday's final presidential debate, is busy nailing down endless details for the big event, reports Newsday. “Whatever (the campaigns) want, we do,” says university president Stuart Rabinowitz. Such as:
  • They supplied each camp with replicas of the water glasses. “So they know
... More »

Town Hall Gives Mac Preferred Platform

Campaign sees tomorrow's encounter as chance to reroute opinion

(Newser) - Tomorrow’s debate will be the one town-hall-style encounter John McCain gets with Barack Obama, and analysts believe it will be crucial to keeping the presidential race from slipping away, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Republican has a reputation for excelling in the town-hall format, which brings out his... More »

Obama: Friday's Debate Should Go On

He disagrees with McCain on need for postponement

(Newser) - Barack Obama disagrees with John McCain and says "it's more important than ever" to hold the first presidential debate Friday, CNN reports. Obama spoke soon after McCain called for a postponement, announcing that he was suspending his campaign to return to Washington and work on the financial bailout. So... More »

...Takes On Cool, Lecturing Obama

Dem hopeful, a great orator, has struggled one-on-one

(Newser) - Barack Obama is famous for his soaring set-piece speeches, but his facility with oratory hasn't translated into success in debates, writes John M. Broder in the New York Times. At last month's Saddleback Church forum he sounded every bit the law professor, offering complex, humorless analysis to the sound bites... More »

To Win Debates, Go for Snap Over Substance

Postgame video replays matter more than issues

(Newser) - Better theater, not better substance, wins modern presidential debates, writes Michael Tomasky in the Guardian. Pundits will ordain a winner during the spin war that follows each clash—this year's first encounter is Friday—and “the candidate who wins the battle of the clips will be the 72-hour winner.... More »

Usual Suspects to Host Debates

(Newser) - The moderators for the three presidential debates have been announced, and none of them are particularly gasp-inducing, the Swamp reports. Tom Brokaw, interim host of Meet the Press, Jim Lehrer, of PBS’ News Hour, and Bob Schieffer of CBS’ Face the Nation, will each host a debate, while Gwen Ifill,... More »

Candidates Spar Over Debate Schedule

Obama wants five, McCain wants 13

(Newser) - Camp Obama and Camp McCain are jousting over debates, with both candidates, New York Times blogger Michael Falcone jokes, appearing to feel “a little rejected.” Obama has suggested five forums: three traditional debates and two town halls, one on the economy and another on foreign policy. A rep... More »

What Mac Doesn't Get About Obama

The Republican is underestimating his challenger

(Newser) - Mark Halperin writes in Time that John McCain is underestimating several challenges ahead of him:
  • The “astonishing enthusiasm” Obama inspires, compared to the respect McCain enjoys
  • How “major league” Obama’s infrastructure is compared to his own
  • The difficulty of running against Bush and Barack at once. He’
... More »

McCain Dares Obama to 10 Informal Debates

Face-to-face showdowns could echo Lincoln-Douglas, Obama adviser suggests

(Newser) - John McCain challenged Barack Obama today to fight mano a mano in a series of 10 intimate town-hall meetings between now and the Democratic primary in late August. The Republican's invitation, delivered in a speech and said to be modeled on a proposed Kennedy-Goldwater series, would be “free from... More »

Clinton Calls for Moderator-Free Debate

But Obama had ruled out debates before the next primaries

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton wants one last debate before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries next month, and she’s ready to do it Lincoln-Douglas style. “After the last debate, Sen. Obama’s supporters complained a little about the tough questions,” Clinton told a crowd in South Bend today. “... More »

Dem Debate Oddly Like 'SNL' Parody

Clinton sees Barack coddling; NYT writer says she has a case

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton was so taken by last week's "Saturday Night Live" sketch that had moderators fawning over Barack Obama in a debate between the two candidates that she brought it up in the real debate last night. And the debate lived up to the SNL spoof, Alessandra Stanley writes... More »

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