2012 United States presidential debates
 2012 U.S. presidential election | |
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On October 31, 2011, the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced four debates for the 2012 U.S. presidential general election, slated for various locations around the United States in October 2012 – three of them involving the major party presidential nominees (later determined to be Democratic President Barack Obama from Illinois and former Republican Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts), and one involving the vice-presidential nominees (Vice President Joe Biden from Delaware and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin).[1]
The CPD stipulates three criteria for eligibility: constitutionally eligible, appearance on enough ballots to potentially reach 270 electoral votes, and average at least 15% on five selected national polls.[2] Four candidates achieved the first two criteria: Democratic nominee Barack Obama, Green nominee Jill Stein,[3] Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson,[4] and Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Only Obama and Romney also satisfy the third criterion of averaging 15% in five selected national polls and thus are the only two to appear in 2012 CPD debates.
The moderators for the debates were announced on August 13, 2012.[5][6] All four debates are scheduled to take place between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PDT).[7]
Subsequently, on October 3, 2012, both campaigns executed a memorandum of understanding governing technical and administrative details of the debate.[8] The agreement describes the role of the moderator, rules applicable to each debate, staging and seating arrangements, and ticket distribution, and was signed by Robert Bauer and Benjamin Ginsberg, general counsel of the Obama and Romney campaigns, respectively.[8]
A non-CPD sanctioned debate was announced by the Free and Equal Elections Foundation in protest of the CPD's monopoly on presidential debates, and scheduled for October 23, 2012. Four third party candidates—Rocky Anderson, Virgil Goode, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein—accepted invitations to the debate. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama were also invited, but are not expected to participate.[9]
Debate schedule
- First presidential debate (domestic policy)
- Wednesday, October 3; Magness Arena, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado[1]
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer[6] – PBS
- Video: C-SPAN, BBC, YouTube
- Transcripts: CNN, NPR w/audio, Washington Post, LA Times, New York Times
- Fact-checking: FactCheck.org, Washington Post
- Vice presidential (domestic and foreign policy)
- Thursday, October 11; Norton Center for the Arts, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky[1]
- Moderator: Martha Raddatz[6] – ABC
- Video: C-SPAN, BBC, YouTube
- Transcripts: CNN, NPR w/audio, Washington Post
- Fact-checking: FactCheck.org, PolitiFact.com, Washington Post
- Second presidential debate (town hall format)
- Tuesday, October 16; David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York[1]
- Moderator: Candy Crowley[6] – CNN
- Video: C-SPAN, BBC
- Transcripts: CNN, NPR w/audio, McClatchy, Washington Post
- Fact-checking: Boston.com, FactCheck.org, New York Times, Politico, PolitiFact.com, Washington Post,
Upcoming
- Third presidential debate (foreign policy)
- Monday, October 22; World Performing Arts Center, Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida[1]
- Moderator: Bob Schieffer[6] – CBS
- Free and Equal Elections Foundation debate (third party)
- Tuesday, October 23; Hilton Chicago, Chicago, Illinois[10]
- Moderator: Larry King[11] – Ora.TV
October 3: First presidential debate (University of Denver)
| Date | October 3, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | University of Denver Denver, Colorado |
| Participants | Governor Mitt Romney |
The first debate between President Barack Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney focused on domestic policy and was broken down into six 15-minute segments. The first three sections focused on the economy including taxes, the national debt, the national deficits, and how to foster a recovery from the recession. The last three segments focused on health care, the role of government, and governing.[12]
Reception
Over 67 million Americans watched the debate making it the most widely viewed first presidential debate in 32 years.[13] A CBS poll of uncommitted voters found that 46% thought that Romney had done better, 22% thought Obama had done better, and 32% thought that it was a tie.[14] A CNN poll found a greater advantage for Romney among debate watchers overall, with 67% feeling the former Massachusetts governor had done better, with only 25% believing that the president had done better.[15] A Gallup poll revealed that 72% of the debate watchers believed Romney was the clear winner, while only 20% were convinced that Obama had won.[16] Time Magazine's Joe Klein stated, "It was, in fact, one of the most inept performances I’ve ever seen by a sitting President."[8]
The primary critiques of Obama's performance were that he looked detached; seldom addressed his opponent directly; and was often looking down while Romney was speaking.[17][18] The performance of Jim Lehrer as the moderator was also widely criticized for frequently allowing the candidates to speak over their time limits.[19][20][21]
Several independent fact checkers noted that a number of factual discrepancies were found in various statements made by both Obama and Romney in the debate.[22][23][24] The Houston Chronicle reported that its "study of post-debate reports from factcheck.org, politifact.com, CBS, CNN, The Washington Post and Politico found that both Obama and Romney stretched the facts [in the debate]. But Obama did it a little less."[25]
October 11: Vice presidential debate (Centre College)
| Date | October 11, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | Centre College Danville, Kentucky |
| Participants | Congressman Paul Ryan |
The first and only debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan focused on domestic and foreign policy, and was broken down into nine 10-minute segments.[26] The foreign policy segments included questions on the attack on the American consulate in Libya, Iran, the civil war in Syria, and Afghanistan. The domestic policy segments included questions on health care, abortion, the national debt, Social Security, Medicare, and taxes.
Reception
A CBS poll of uncommitted voters showed 50% of those viewers saying Biden had done better, with 31% saying Ryan had done better.[27] A Reuters poll indicated Biden the superior candidate, 42% to 35%.[28] A CNN poll of debate watchers showed that 48% of viewers felt Ryan had done better, while 44% believed Biden had done better; CNN noted that the debate audience polled was about eight percentage points more Republican than the general population.[29] Much of the debate analysis[according to whom?] indicated that though both debaters performed adequately, Biden's performance helped to slow the momentum of the Romney campaign following the preceding presidential debate.[30]
The debate was watched by over 51 million people making it the third most watched vice presidential debate behind only 1984 (57 million) and 2008 (70 million).[31]
October 16: Second presidential debate (Hofstra University)
| Date | October 16, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | Hofstra University Hempstead, New York |
| Participants | Governor Mitt Romney |
The second debate, hosted by Hofstra University, followed a town hall format, with a group of noncommitted voters asking questions to the candidates, after which the moderator would ask follow-up questions.
The second debate dealt primarily with domestic affairs, but, unlike the first debate, did include some segues into foreign policy. Topics discussed included taxes, unemployment, job creation, the national debt, energy and energy independence, women's rights, both legal and illegal immigration, and the recent attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Reception
A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 46% of respondents believed that Obama had done better, with 39% believing that Romney had done better; CNN noted that the debate audience polled was about eight percentage points more Republican than the general population, similar to the Vice Presidential debate.[32] A CBS poll of uncommitted voters found that 37% believed Obama was superior in the second debate, 30% said that Romney was superior, and 33% called the debate a tie. 55% of the voters CBS polled said that Obama gave direct answers, while 49% said this about Romney.[33]
The general consensus among liberals as well as some conservatives was that Obama's showing in the second debate was considerably stronger in comparison with a lukewarm performance in the first debate.[34]
October 22: Third presidential debate (Lynn University)
| Date | October 22, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | Lynn University Boca Raton, Florida |
| Participants | Governor Mitt Romney |
The third and final debate is scheduled for Monday, October 22 at Florida's Lynn University.
To be moderated by CBS's Bob Schieffer, the format of the third debate is expected to mirror the first debate, except with the candidates focusing on foreign policy rather than domestic policy.[1]
Protests over excluded candidates
Antitrust lawsuit
On September 21, 2012, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson filed an antitrust lawsuit in the US District Court for the Central District of California against the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee. The suit alleges that the three private companies have conspired in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act to limit competition and that in doing so they are injuring the Johnson campaign and the American electorate.[35][36]
Green Party Demonstration
On October 16, 2012, Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein and vice-presidential nominee Cheri Honkala were arrested for disorderly conduct while trying to enter the second presidential debate in Hempstead, New York.[37] The two women claim they were taken to a warehouse, and strapped for eight hours to chairs with plastic wrist restraints before being released.[38]
Withdrawal of sponsors
Three of the debate sponsors dropped out ahead of the first presidential debate due to public opinion over the exclusion of Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein. These companies were BBH New York, YWCA USA[39] and Philips Electronics.[40]
October 23: Free and Equal Elections Foundation debate (Hilton Chicago)
| Date | October 23, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | Hilton Chicago Chicago, Illinois |
| Participants | Governor Gary Johnson Mayor Rocky Anderson Jill Stein |
The Free and Equal Elections Foundation organized a debate featuring third party candidates Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, Virgil Goode and Rocky Anderson, to be held in Chicago at 9:00pm EDT on Oct. 23, 2012. Veteran broadcaster Larry King agreed to serve as moderator for the debate, which was set to be streamed live online.[41] [42] It will also be streamed live by Russia Today and will be broadcasted live by Al Jazeera English.[43]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Little, Morgan (July 25, 2012) "Presidential debate formats announced, feature town hall", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ "Candidate Selection Criteria". Commission on Presidential Debates. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ John Nichols (October 2, 2012). "These Debates Could Use Some Jill Stein and Gary Johnson". The Nation. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ Charles Mahtesian (September 12, 2012). "Gary Johnson on ballot in 47 states". Politico. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ Byers, Dylan (August 13, 2012) "Presidential Debate Moderators Announced", Politico. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Blake, Aaron (August 13, 2012) "Presidential debate moderators announced: Crowley is first woman in 20 years", The Washington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "CPD Announces 2012 Debates Format (July 25, 2012)". Debates.org. Retrieved October 5, 2012.]
- ^ a b c Candy Crowley’s Moderator Role Under Scrutiny Before Tuesday Town Hall | The Page by Mark Halperin | TIME.com Cite error: The named reference "autogenerated1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ http://freeandequal.org/updates/third-party-presidential-debate-october-23-2012/
- ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-larry-king-third-party-debate-moderator-20121017,0,5390151.story
- ^ http://freeandequal.org/updates/larry-king-to-moderate-third-party-presidential-debate/
- ^ "Jim Lehrer Announces First Presidential Debate Topics". Huffingtonpost.com. September 19, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ 18 HRS (November 17, 2011). "Presidential Debate Hits 32-Year Record in Gross Ratings". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ October 3, 2012, 11:40 PM. "Poll: Uncommitted voters say Romney wins debate". CBS News. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "CNN Poll: Most watchers say Romney debate winner – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs". Politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Jones, Jeffrey M. (October 8, 2012) "Romney Narrows Vote Gap After Historic Debate Win", Gallup.com.
- ^ Hamby, Peter; Preston, Mark; Steinhauser, Paul (October 4, 2012). "5 things we learned from the presidential debate". CNN.com. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ward, Jon (October 4, 2012). "Mitt Romney Versus Obama: 4 Key Moments From First Presidential Debate". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Paul Harris: Jim Lehrer: was TV moderator the debate's big loser? The Guardian, October 4, 2012
- ^ "Moderator Jim Lehrer sharply criticized for performance in presidential debate". Washington Post. Associated Press. October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Byers, Dylan (October 5, 2012). "Exclusive: Jim Lehrer says he was 'effective' as presidential debate moderator". Politico. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "Presidential debate fact check: President Obama, Mitt Romney don't tell the whole truth". New York Daily News. Associated Press. October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Wemple, Erik (October 4, 2012). "Fact-checkers have fun with Obama, Romney". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "Fact check: The debate". The Morning Sun. FactCheck.org via GateHouse News Service. October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "Fact-checkers say Obama told the truth more often in Denver debate — by a (Pinocchio) nose". Houston Chronicle. October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ Fireworks fly at vice presidential debate - CBS News
- ^ Poll: Biden takes debate over Ryan, uncommitted voters say - CBS News
- ^ Biden had the edge in VP debate: Reuters/Ipsos poll | Reuters
- ^ Polling Center: CNN Poll: Who won the VP debate? - Elections & Politics from CNN.com
- ^ In Polls, Biden Gets a Hold - NYTimes.com
- ^ VP debate ratings can’t match Biden-Palin from 2008 - The Washington Post
- ^ Polling Center: CNN Poll: Who won the second presidential debate? - Elections & Politics from CNN.com
- ^ Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Anthony Salvanto, Fred Backus and Lindsey Boerma (October 16, 2012). "Poll:Obama edges Romney in second debate". CBS News. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Kevin Cirilli (October 16, 2012). "Debate results: Liberals relieved by Obama's performance". Politico. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ "Gary Johnson Sues for Participation in Debates". The New American. September 24, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
- ^ "Gary Johnson Files Anti-Trust Lawsuit for Entry to Debates". Independent Voter Network. September 23, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
- ^ "Jill Stein Arrested Before Hofstra Debate". Huffington Post. October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ "Green Party Candidates Arrested, Shackled to Chairs For 8 Hours After Trying to Enter Hofstra Debate". Democracy Now!. October 17, 2012.
- ^ "YWCA Drops Debate Sponsorship Over Exclusion of Third-Party Candidates". Reason. September 28,2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Philips pulls presidential debate sponsorship". Politico. September 30,2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Associated Press/CBSNews.com
- ^ Free & Equal Elections Foundation
- ^ http://freeandequal.org/updates/al-jazeera-breaks-ranks-amidst-us-black-out/
External links
- Commission on Presidential Debates Announces Sites, Dates, and Candidate Selection Criteria for 2012 General Election, Commission on Presidential Debates, October 31, 2011
- 2012 Candidate Selection Criteria, Commission on Presidential Debates, October 20, 2011
- Coverage at the Washington Post
- University of Denver debate official site
- Centre College debate official site
- Hofstra University debate official site
- Lynn University debate official site