Who Won The Presidential Debate? Obama Wins Easily

Impact

The first presidential debate on Wednesday night will be the biggest moment so far in election 2012. It could very well be a game-changer for Republican Mitt Romney, or it could solidify the re-election of President Barack Obama.

The 90 minutes of the Denver debate will be critical, and will very much set the tone for the next five weeks of this election.

Get ready to rumble, right?

Call it the Duel of Denver. Or the Clash of Colorado. Or the make-it-break moment of the 2012 election.

Either way, the last time we had a political duel of this magnitude (Aaron Burr vs Alexander Hamilton), one man didn’t make it out alive.

Don’t expect the same thing to happen Wednesday, but definitely expect the competition to be fierce, and the rhetoric sharp.

Who will be watching? Almost everyone. It is being reported that there is a bit less interest in this year’s first presidential debate than there was four years ago. Still, the debate will be the biggest venue yet for each candidate to lay out their plan and win over voters. According to a Pew study from earlier in the week, a substantial majority of voters plan to watch the debate: 62% say they are very likely to watch, another 21% say they are somewhat likely. If Romney is on his game, he may be able to pull a big upset on Wednesday.

It is estimated that 60+ million people will tune in. The first debate is typically the most-watched of the series.

This will be like the Monday Night Football of politics. 

Here’s how it will work: The moderator will pose a prepared question to a candidate and the candidate will have 2 minutes to answer. Their opponent will then have one minute for rebuttal. The moderator can, at his discretion, extend the candidates time by 30 seconds on either end.

In reality, these rules are merely guidelines (especially since neither side has actually agreed to the rules). Some media outlets will seek to address this lack of structure ... CNN, for example, will be running a game clock calculating the total time each candidate gets to speak.

Stayed tuned to PolicyMic for all the latest news, updates, analyses, gaffes, jokes, and quotes. Bookmark and refresh this page for the most recent updates.

UPDATE:

10:25 p.m. ‎"Mr. President you're entitled to your own plane but not to your own facts."

10:19 p.m. I respect that Obama considers himself the 1% and is OK talking about it when talking economics ... and wants to tax himself more.

10:18 p.m. Mark My Words, Jim Lehrer as moderator will make or break the presidential debate, a great analysis from PM Pundit Danielle Gram. 

Sixty million viewers are expected to tune in to the first presidential debate on Wednesday between President Obama and Governor Romney, but few are watching to see the third character in this political theater: the debate’s moderator, Jim Lehrer. The choice of moderator has become increasingly important and controversial in recent years, as candidates have come to engage more directly with moderators, and the public expects moderators to solicit participation from viewers. With Lehrer facing criticism that he is a “safe choice,” he may throw us a curve ball in the first debate.

To say the selection of Lehrer as moderator was predictable would be an understatement. This will be the 12th presidential debate he has moderated since 1988.

Lehrer certainly has the experience and qualifications to make him a reasonable selection. He anchored PBS’s primary news show, the “PBS NewsHour,” from 1975-2011 and now serves as the program’s Executive Editor. His journalism has received dozens of awards, and his objectivist style makes him a likeable debate moderator.

But this year, the choice of Lehrer has drawn greater criticism. Is his 12th presidential debate the straw that broke the camel’s back? Do we really need another old white male selecting the questions asked to the presidential nominees?

This year marks the first time in 20 years that a woman has been selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) to moderate a presidential debate, but many would like to see even greater diversity among moderators. Diversity matters because the moderator has the sole responsibility of selecting the questions asked (while the topics are pre-selected in a processinvolving the major campaigns and the CPD). Choose a female moderator, and a question about gender inequality in the U.S. might come up. Throw in a Hispanic moderator and the debate may take a turn toward immigration issues. Choose a Millennial moderator — gasp — and who knows what could happen!

In an age where America’s thoughts and opinions can be monitored by a quick glance at Google Trends and Twitter hashtags, presidential debates could involve more participation from the voting public. Imagine an “American Idol” meets “Meet the Press” event where viewers could text in their votes for the next question asked.

But Lehrer isn’t too interested in social media, and he hasn’t taken the criticism of his selection particularly well either.

“It’s a rough, rough world — I know that,” Mr. Lehrer told the New York Times. “And those of us who have decided to play in that world have to play by those rules. I’m susceptible to the same smears as anyone else.”

Lehrer is reportedly “seething” and “exasperated” by the increased attention paid to his selection this year, which may lead him to venture out of his comfort zone and prove that even an “old white guy” knows what matters most to Americans.

10:14 p.m. Again -- I still believe Obama is making clearer cut policy points here, highlighting more realistic, attainable, and marketable policy initiatives.

10:11 p.m. "Reagan" is one of our keywords in the PolicyMic drinking game, if you're playing at home.

10:11 p.m. Mitt Romney repeated tonight that he would repeal Wall Street reform, allowing Wall Street to return to the risky financial deals  that eroded middle-class security, destroyed trillions of dollars of wealth, and cost millions of workers their jobs. And he has no plan to replace it. The Wall Street reform that President Obama championed ensures that we end taxpayer-funded bailouts of the financial sector and protects the middle class from the risky financial deals that crashed our economy in the first place. And it does so while supporting community banks – putting them on a more level playing field with Wall Street.

10 p.m. Did Obama just accuse the moderator of screwing him out of 5 seconds?

9:49 p.m. Who has the better tie? Pretty sure that's how some voters will be choosing today.

9:48 p.m. Key Obama quotes: “If you believe that we can cut taxes by 5 trillion-dollar and add 2 trillion-dollar in additional spending that the military is not asking for – 7 trillion-dollars, just to give you a sense, over 10 years that’s more than our entire defense budget – and you think that by closing loopholes arrest deductions for the well to do somehow you will not end up picking up the tab, then Governor Romney’s plan may work for you.  

“But I think math, common sense and our history shows us that’s not a recipe for job growth. Look, we’ve tried this, we’ve tried both approaches. The approach that Governor Romney’s talking about is the same sales pitch that was made in 2001 and 2003. And we ended up with the slowest job growth in 50 years, we ended up moving from surplus to deficits, and it all culminated in the worst financial crisis since the great depression.”

9:43 p.m.  Obama is currently winning the debate. His comments have been on point and easy to digest. I thought Romney won the first 5 minutes with strong policy remarks, but he seems to be talking in circles. I would venture to say that the policy points Romney has said make little sense to the average voter ... and even the seasoned policy analyst. 

In the first five minutes, Romney comes out on top.  He jumps right into storytelling and empathetically telling the story of his plan.  Obama appears stiff, stressed, and frustrated that he has to be there.  While he talks about the middle class, he appears disconnected. 

9:38 p.m. Romney's Big Bird comment is going viral:

9:25 p.m. New Question: How do we cut our deficit?

9:24 p.m. Romney kind of looks like he's tearing up, getting ready to cry? 

9:23 p.m. So far no zingers by Romney.

9:21 p.m. Jim Lehrer laying down the lay!

9:20 p.m. That Donald Trump line by Obama just totally dominated Romney. 

9:18 p.m. 

9:16 p.m. "What is this difference?!?!?!"

9:11 p.m. Romney also discusses tax loopholes, energy. Unlike Obama he isn't favor of alternative energy, but using the resources we currently have. 

9:10 p.m. Obama says he wants to close tax loopholes ... discusses energy alternatives ... discusses reforming tax code. 

9:08 p.m. Romney on the economy: A 5 point plan that focuses on education and small business. A "trickle down approach."

9:06 p.m. Obama on the economy: "When the middle class is doing well, America is doing well."

9:04 p.m. Jobs is the first question ... and the candidates will discuss their difference on jobs and the economy. I don't even really know their differences on economic policy ... and I've been covering this race since last year :-/

9:02 p.m. Funny tidbit: Neither candidate actually, formally agreed to the 2 minute format rules of the debate tonight.

9 p.m. LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

8:57 p.m. Remember that tonight's debate will focus primarily on domestic policy, especially the economy. 

8:50 p.m. It'll all be a numbers game tonight: 

8:40 p.m. Under 20 mins. Get ready for the biggest moment of election 2012 this far. 

8:13 p.m. Why Romney will lose at this debate: courtesy of PM Pundit Joe Sarkisian

As President Obama and Mitt Romney square off on Wednesday evening for the first presidential debate of election 2012, Mitt will have a hard time putting a positive spin on his detrimental policy proposals which have been outed for what they really are.

Although supposedly geared towards all issues of domestic policy, it is safe to say that the debate tonight will revolve around the economy. If we are only taking into account those sources that perform solid analysis on Romney's budget plan, his ideas are frightening.

Robert Greenstein, President and Founder of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, had this to say after his organization performed a thorough analysis of the Romney budget plan:

"The new Ryan budget is a remarkable document — one that, for most of the past half-century, would have been outside the bounds of mainstream discussion due to its extreme nature. In essence, this budget is Robin Hood in reverse — on steroids. It would likely produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history and likely increase poverty and inequality more than any other budget in recent times (and possibly in the nation’s history)."

Similar forecasts have been made by the Congressional Budget OfficeTax Policy Center, Nobel Prize-winning Princeton University Economist Paul Krugman, and many others.

6:58 p.m. Amazing PolicyMic Live Blogs: Our incredible pundits will be providing commentary of their own all night long, from a range of liberal, conservative, and libertarian perspectives. We've got live bloggers in almost every state in America, so be sure to check out your favorites. 

Like the editors, there's a prize (t-shirt, dinner with the PolicyMic team, and poster) for the most viewed live blogger, so pick your favorites. A couple of highlights to get you started: For liberal coverage, check out Joe Sarkisian here, Derek Miles here and Mark Kogan here; for conservative coverage, see Robert Lee's blog and Jesse Merkel's blog; and for libertarian perspectives, check out Christopher McDaniel here and Robert Taylor here.

Get your popcorn ready.

6:50 p.m. Do the debates even matter? PM pundit Tyler Kuhn explains: Tonight, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger (and the former governor of Massachusetts) Mitt Romney will face off in an attempt to convince voters their vision for the future of the republic is superior to their competitor’s vision. All the hype and attention the presidential debates receive begs novice and policy viewers alike to ask a fundamental question: do the presidential debates matter? And if they do, what will their role be in the course of the 2012 presidential election?

A simple explanation to the above question is that debates certainly do matter, and that they can (and do) affect the outcomes of elections. But the real answer is a bit more complicated than that — especially in the year 2012.

Ronald Reagan famously sealed his presidential fate when he asked the American public if they “were better off than they were four years ago." At the time, Reagan was polling near even (or in some cases behind) with then-President Jimmy Carter. But that final moment of the last debate between the two men took Reagan’s numbers into the political stratosphere, and resulted in his eventual landslide victory in the 1980 presidential election.

While this example may lead the reader to believe that debates do have great consequences, we must also consider the debates within the contemporary political climate.

This time around, relatively few voters are still undecided. The president, for better or for worse, is one of those politicians who is either loved or despised by voters. Few are indifferent towards him anymore. This means that Romney has a very small margin for error. There is no question that the former Bay State governor comes into Denver as the clear underdog. In order for him to make this debate worth his while, he needs to have a very strong performance. He needs to make a very plain case to the American people as to why he deserves to be president.

The timing of this year's debates also lends greater importance to the first debate. Unlike in elections past, a record number of Americans will opt into voting early in their respective states. Politicians now can’t rely on an “October Surprise” to bounce back, as early polling now matters now more than ever. Romney can’t wait much longer to get his act together; he needs to make a substantial impact on a relatively few number of voters tonight.

Obama can win this debate (and possibly this election) by playing defense. He does not need to take many gambles tonight. He would be wise to let Romney attack him and brush off any zingers, all the while appearing as presidential as possible.

Both Obama and Romney are skilled debaters, though the former hasn’t debated in four years, and the latter hasn’t debated a Democrat in a decade. While these handicaps might make the first thirty minutes or so a bit rough for both sides, I do not expect either candidate to become too flustered.

The debates do still matter to the 2012 presidential election, but they are being conducted in a different context than the debates of years past. If the debates are anything less than a stalemate, then expect Obama to continue to pull ahead of his Republican rival. If Romney can make a great impression on the few Americans who are still undecided, then the game is still on.

6:43 p.m. Obama's Other Race Speech – Conservatives are fired up today about the release of new video from 2007 showing then-Senator Barack Obama using "racially charged rhetoric" during a speech at Hampton University to an audience of African-American ministers, including Reverend Jeremiah Wright. The video debuted on Fox News's "Hannity" at 9:00 p.m., and was the banner story on the Drudge Report all evening long. Hannity told viewers, "On the eve of the first presidential debate, a bombshell is about to be dropped on the 2012 race for the White House. Because tonight, you will hear from Barack Obama like you have NEVER heard from him before. A video has been uncovered from a campaign event. … It contains some of the most divisive class-warfare and racially charged rhetoric ever used by Barack Obama. ... This is further proof that the mainstream media has been in the pocket of Barack Obama since the day that he arrived on the national stage.” The event was open to, and extensively covered by, the press at the time, so the video is hardly new material, but conservatives believe it contains new evidence of Obama's true personality. Mitt Romney has been clear to distance himself from these kinds of personality attacks (which played a pivotal role in John McCain's 2008 campaign).

6:33 p.m. A quick look at the polls ... courtesy of PM Pundit Brittany Cheng: The latest election 2012 polls show that President Obama continues to hold onto his lead over GOP nominee Mitt Romney in nine of the ten battleground states. Real Clear Politics poll data suggests that Romney hangs onto North Carolina by four points and is gaining momentum in Florida, while Obama extends his lead in Nevada and New Hampshire. However, the race to the White House is still close in many key states, including Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia. Here are the latest numbers, as we head into tonight's crucial presidential debate.

Colorado:

WeAskAmerica poll, gathered from September 25 to 27, shows Obama holding a three-point lead over Romney. The poll projects a 49-46 split in Obama's favor, with a 2.8% margin of error.

Florida:

Three weeks ago, Obama held a steady three-point lead over Romney in the sunshine state. However, according to the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll, Romney now trails by one point. The poll predicts Obama winning 47% over Romney's 46%, with a 3.3% margin of error. A September 29 to 30 Gravis Marketing poll shows similar results of Obama's one point lead heading into tonight.

Iowa:

Iowa has remained Obama-leaning, according to a new WeAskAmerica poll. Results collected from September 25 to 27 estimate that Obama currently has about 48% of the votes, compared to Romney's 44%, with a 2.8% margin of error. The week before, a Des Moines Registrar poll also showed an Obama four-point lead over Romney.

North Carolina:

According to two recent polls, North Carolina is the only one of 10 battleground states in which Romney commands a lead over Obama. An October 2 Rasmussen poll suggests a 51-47 win for Romney. An ARG poll conducted from September 28 to 30 also said Romney leads by four points. However, a September 9 to October 1 SurveyUSA poll predicts an Obama win by two points. All three polls, however, has over a 4% margin of error.

New Hampshire:

September 27 to Sept. 30 poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) reports that Obama commands a whopping 15-point lead over Romney, the highest current differential between the candidates of any swing state. An ARG poll two days prior suggest a 50-45 split, as opposed to the UNH's 54-39 prediction. Both polls have a 4% margin of error.

Nevada:

Last week, several polls suggest that there is a tight race between the two major candidates in Nevada. However, a September 25 to 27 WeAskAmerica poll shows that Obama vaulted to an 11-point lead over Romney. The poll predicts that Obama will get 53% of the votes, compared to 42% of votes for Romney, with a 3.1% margin of error.

Ohio:

A NBC/WSJ/Marist poll conducted from September 30 to October 1 predicts a 51-43 win for Obama, with a 3.2% margin of error.

Virginia:

Since February, Obama has retained the lead in Virginia in most Real Clear Politics polls. However, that gap between candidates has become progressively smaller since then. Currently, Obama holds a steady two-point lead, according to a recent NBC/WSJ/Marist poll, with a 3.1% margin of error.

Wisconsin:

The homestate of Romney's running mate has shown increasing favoritism towards Obama since September. According to a September 27 to 30 poll conducted by Marquette University, Obama has an 11 point lead over Romney. The poll predicted that Obama would win 53% of the votes, with a 3.3% margin of error.

6:11 p.m. Under 3 hours to go ...

6 p.m. The specter of James Holmes huants this debate: One of the lesser known plotlines which could factor in on Wednesday is the location of the debate, just 15 miles away from Aurora, Colorado. It was in Aurora that shooter James Holmes opened fire in a movie theater during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in July, a tragedy which killed 12 people and injured 58 others. 

The focus of Wednesday's debate is domestic policy, and specifically, the economy, health care, and governing in partisan Washington. Gun control is not expected to be a major point of focus for host Jim Leher, though, the veteran journalist could throw in a question about gun violence and gun control, given the debate's proximity to Aurora. 

At least that's what 22-year-old Stephen Barton is hoping. Barton was one of the victims of the Aurora movie theater shooting, and appears in a new ad which has been airing in the days leading up to the presidential debate in Denver asking voters to "demand a plan" from Obama and Romney on gun control. He is hoping the ad will revive the conversation about gun violence at the debate. "This past summer in a movie theater in Colorado, I was shot. Shot in the face and neck. But I was lucky. In the next four years, 48,000 Americans won’t be so lucky, because they’ll be murdered with guns in the next president’s term, enough to fill over 200 theaters. So when you watch the presidential debates, ask yourself, ‘Who has a plan to stop gun violence?" 

Barton is also asking supporters to sign a petition at DemandAPlan.com, a site dedicated to ending gun violence in America and putting pressure on Obama and Romney to do more on this issue.

But, the format of Wednesday's debate does not lend itself well to a question about gun control. The 90 min. debate will feature three 15-minute segments which deal with the economy, a fourth segment about health care, a fifth on "the role of government," and a final on "governing." Lehrer will allow each candidate to give a two minute response to his question, and then moderate the discussion between the two. With voters' focus on the economy, there will likely be little room for a discussion about gun control.

Still, it's heartening to see this kind of effort from an Aurora survivor, and his video should serve as a continued reminder to both candidates that gun control must become a more important issue that deserves more attention in 2013.

5:35 p.m. In addition to the biggest showdown of the 2012 campaign to date, tonight also marks Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama's 20th wedding anniversary. The Obama campaign is asking you to sign their card here.

5:25 p.m. The Candidate Missing From Tonight's Debate – Libertarian candidate for president Gary Johnson has been shut out of the presidential debate on Wednesday night, a decision which has angered third-party voters and even prompted at least two of the debate's sponsors to pull their support. 

Founder and executive director of Open Debates George Farah says Democrats and Republicans have secretly negotiated a detailed contract that dictates many of the terms of the 2012 presidential debates. This includes who gets to participate, as well as the topics raised during the debates. Even though he will not be participating in the debate, Gary Johnson will be providing live, online commentary on Twitter and other new media outlets.

5:15 p.m. OMG! A Deb8! What Young People Want to Ask – (via NPR) Pundit Maggie Cleary, Chairwoman of the Georgetown University Republicans says she would ask these three questions to the candidates if given the opportunity: 1) What are three specific steps you would take in the next four years to reduce the deficit? 2) What is your plan to increase America's power overseas? Continuing to be submissive is not an option. 3) What are reasons a young, unemployed person should vote for you in 2012? Paul T. Conway, president of Generation Opportunity, a nonpartisan think tank focusing on the economic activity of young Americans, had this to say ahead of tonight's debate: "Unlike previous debates, this series of debates will be watched, shared, commented on and vigorously discussed among young Americans for weeks to come both on social media as well as in person. What all Americans should understand is that young adults know full well what is at stake in the 2012 election both for themselves and their country."

5 p.m. Does Romney even want to win this debate? 

Last week a Romney aide said Romney would lose the first presidential debate.

In a memo which was distributed to campaign media surrogates re: Wednesday's first presidential debate against President Obama in Denver, longtime Romney adviser Beth Myers tried to lower expectations for the Romney campaign, detailing a series of reasons why Obama is likely to emerge as the winner of the first debate.

She writes that Obama is "widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history."

She adds, "This will be the eighth one-on-one presidential debate of his political career. For Mitt Romney, it will be his first." Myers concludes that the debates will not, in fact, decide the election: "It will be decided by the American people," she says.

Seems like a bizarre strategy for the Romney camp to down-play debate expectations, but we’ll play along with it.

For Obama, the debate will serve as a new forum for him to solidify his base and maintain his lead in the polls. The president has a comfortable lead in most polls, has been riding on a post-DNC bump, and has benefitted greatly from many of the gaffes committed by Mitt Romney over the last few weeks. He is ahead in all eight major swing states according to almost all media outlets, and, this past weekend, his campaign crossed the $10 million mark in donations, mostly from small grassroots donors. The president will put his oratorical skills to the test against Romney, who has sharpened his own skills with 20+ strong debate showings over the past 12 months during the Republican nomination process. And while many have focused on how the president can solidify his lead over his opponent, he certainly stands to lose a lot if he does not deliver on his message to swing voters, and veer away from the "first-term referendum" which Romney has attempted to create. 

The race is still relatively tight. On Monday, the Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll showed Obama attracting support from 50% of voters nationwide, while Mitt Romney earned the vote from 47%. Two percent prefer some other candidate, and 2% are undecided. 

A recent Gallup poll reports that the dead heat between Romney and Obama in the swing states could shift quickly, as 22% of voters in those states say they could still change their minds.

The "winner" of Wednesday's debate could see a big polling jump. 

The loser, though, could be left out in the cold October rain.

4:40 p.m. Obama, Polling 3.8 Points Ahead in Real Clear Politics, Can Afford to Relax These Next 5 Weeks. PolicyMic Pundit Liam Crawford reports:

As we in D.C. pile into bars on Wednesday to witness the spectacle that is presidential debating, swing state constituents from Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania will be in the candidate’s crosshairs as both bend over backwards to tailor their message at undecided voters in these critical battleground states. 

President Barack Obama has made substantial gains in the past few weeks giving him an edge in important swing states. Former Governor Mitt Romney desperately needs to win at least two, possibly even three, of the states mentioned. Romney finds himself in a less than favorable position leading up to the first debate. Polls have been slipping away from Romney in these critical and highly sought after states where he finds himself, on average, polling well below his very own controversial "47%" figure.

At this point in the campaign, POLITCO has Obama owning 95 electoral votes in these previously highly contested swing states. In comparison, Romney occupies a paltry 15. These polls and projections may have an air of triviality due to the relatively fickle nature of the small, yet important, undecided voter group, but presumptiveness aside, Obama has seen a major bump as of late. Obama currently leads polls in Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, Iowa, and Colorado. Most have ceded that if the election were held tomorrow Obama would have a lock on 237 electoral votes and Romney would have something close to 206. Of course this does not definitively project an Obama victory, but the trend of the campaign remains in the president’s favor. Real Clear Politics has held Obama in a lead averaging 3.8 points over Romney throughout the entire 2012 campaign. Obama has nearly five weeks to run a smooth campaign — he must avoid gaffes both on and off the debate stage, and should focus his attention on single states where he can bolster his numbers and more easily obtain the 370 electoral votes that he has labored for this entire campaign cycle.

This campaign will be fought and won in the coming weeks on two stages. One will be on the debate stage and the other will be in the trenches of the now infamous "swing state." Virginia holds 13 electoral votes and generally votes conservative. Prior to Obama’s victory in 2008 the state had not voted for a Democratic president since 1964 when it voted in favor of Lyndon B. Johnson. Virginia remains somewhat promising for the Romney campaign. Wisconsin does as well, mainly due to Paul Ryan’s popularity and inclusion onto the Romney ticket. Nevada also can swing back in Romney’s favor due to the severe economic problems within the state as well as the state’s general tendency toward libertarian values. These characteristics come into play in Colorado as well. One of Romney’s most difficult demographics, which could severely hurt him come the election, is with Hispanic voters. Hispanics do not favor Romney in any state other than Florida, which has a 40% favorable view of Romney.

These polls do not put a nail in the coffin of Romney’s presidential bid, although they tend to leave the feeling that the hole has been dug. Romney will have to tread carefully in the coming weeks as he is likely to become more desperate and forced to turn to more offensive tactics. Once the candidates have walked the figurative knife’s edge in the upcoming debates it will be much easier to predict the final outcome on Election Day.

4:15 p.m. Debate Party: ABC7/WJLA reports:

"Former President Bill Clinton will be in Boston on Wednesday night for Obama, with donors paying $20,000 a person.

4 p.m. Romney is facing an uphill battle against the polls. This might be the only realistic way Romney can win the 2012 election:

3 p.m. Obama Will Win Tonight: It’s already kind of been decided: Barack Obama will “win” the Wednesday night presidential debate.

“Win,” of course, is in quotes because it’s all qualitative, subjective.

But recent Pew research has released data which shows that voters expect that Obama will do a better job than Republican rival Mitt Romney at the first prez debate battle in Denver. According to their findings, by a 51% to 29% margin, more voters say Obama will do better than Romney in Wednesday’s debate.

"The Duel in Denver." "The Clash in Colorado." Whatever you want to call it, the last time there was a duel in politics that was of this magnitude Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton. This will be a big one.

Nearly nine-in-ten Democrats (89%) expect Obama to do the better job in the debate (duh). By contrast, Republicans are less confident in their candidate: 64% say Romney will do the better job, 16% say Obama. The balance of opinion among independent voters mirrors that of all voters: 44% say they expect Obama will do the better job, 28% say Romney.

The critical data points are with Republican and independent voters. If Republicans aren’t enthused with their candidate, it may be a sign that the conservative base is flaking … which could lead to anything from less Republican voters showing up at the polls (which, in turn, means a disproportionate amount of Dems voting), to conservatives voting for “the other guy,” which in this case could be libertarian and free-market candidate Gary Johnson.

The numbers also show that independents — those less-than-10%-of-voters who haven’t yet made up their minds — are already starting to swing towards Obama … a worrying sign for Romney, who is seeking to win over undecided and independent voters, especially has he trails in other voting blocs (national, favorability, minority, swing states, young people, women, etc. etc.).

Romney, then, is going into the debate with less momentum than the president.

2:52 p.m. 

The PolicyMic Presidential Debate Drinking Game!

As if the debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney weren’t exciting enough on their own, PolicyMic is here with the official drinking game of the 2012 presidential election. So grab your favorite beer or cocktail, sit back, watch, and tie one on!

WARNING: Drinking heavily during presidential debates may cause liver damage and can lead to incoherent arguments about politics.  

When words are in quotes, that means you take a drink the for duration of time indicated when either candidate uses those words in the debate. 

THE GIMMEES (2 Seconds)

"Class warfare"

"Bain"

"Tax cut(s)"

"Forty-seven percent"

"Fair share"

"Small business(es)"

THE PROBABLES (3 seconds)

"Reagan"

"Forward"

"My opponent"

"Uncertainty"

"Solyndra"

"Keystone"

"Obamacare

"Job killing" or "job killer(s)"

"Fast and furious"

Split-screen shot of candidates

Either candidate references spouse

Either candidate mentions a "Joe the Plumber"

THE QUESTIONABLES (4 seconds)

"Romneycare"

"That’s not true” or “That's not accurate"

"This election is about..."

"This election is not about..."

Either candidate makes obvious gaffe                

Romney laughs nervously                   

THE BLACKOUT-INDUCERS (10 seconds)                       

"Socialist"

Obama says someone didn't build that

Romney tries to make a wager                          

2:30 p.m. Why the heck is Obama even leading in the polls? What’s weird for Obama is that, even though he is ahead in the polls, many voters seem to think he hasn’t exactly done the best of jobs. Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters think America is weaker today than it was four years ago. Twenty-nine percent (29%) believe it is stronger. That’s a crushing statistics, but one that seems to have little effect on the race, or has been trumped up by Republicans. Currently, 49% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's job performance. Fifty percent (50%) at least somewhat disapprove (see trends).

If the Rasmussen poll remains as it is today, then, of course, Democrats will control the White House for four more years. Still, Republicans can take solice in the 2012 congressional campaigns. Republicans now enjoy a four-point lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot. However, as Rasmussen reports, state polling shows Democrats are now expected to retain control of the Senate. The Rasmussen Reports Balance of Power projections indicate that the Democrats are likely to win or hold 48 seats, while the GOP can probably count on 45. That leaves seven toss-ups. Republicans would need to win six of the seven to win control (or five of the seven if Romney wins and Vice President Paul Ryan can cast a tie-breaking vote).

2 p.m. Obama has the momentum: Ahead of the first presidential debate in Denver on Wednesday night, President Barack Obama holds the momentum. Still, the same poll finds that nearly half of Americans think the country is worse off today than it was four years ago ... making Obama's current lead pretty astonishing.  

New polls from the Rasmussen polling agency show Obama with a slight lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows President Obama attracting support from 49% of voters nationwide, while Mitt Romney earns the vote from 47%. One percent (1%) prefers some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided.

Here's the schedule for tonight: 

Below is the schedule for upcoming debates:

October 3, 2012

Topic: Domestic policy 

 

The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator and announced several weeks before the debate.

The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.

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