Presidential Debates

We love presidential debates: the theatrics, the clearly rehearsed talking points, moderator Jim Lehrer! But we also love the chance it provides to drink (we're talking about watching politicians talk for 90 minutes, here). So here's b's official 2012 Presidential Debate Drinking Game ™. Because sometimes you need a little booze when listening to politicians talk about domestic issues back and forth. Drink if: Osama bin Laden is mentioned (even though the debate will focus on domestic policy)

Like most students gathered at the Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday to share tacos and watch the first presidential debate of the general election, senior Nicholas DePaul walked into the room as a supporter of President Barack Obama. But 30 minutes into the debate - as Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney hashed through their plans to reduce spiraling budget deficits - DePaul seemed deflated by the president's performance selling his economic vision to the country. "I'm afraid to say Romney is probably winning with the public because people react more to emotion in these kinds of things," said DePaul, a Californian who is studying political and environmental science and who spent much of the debate monitoring a political fact-check website on his laptop.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's schedule takes him to Denver on Wednesday, where he will be in the audience for first presidential debate. Maryland's governor has been one of President Barack Obama's top surrogates this season and will be on hand Wednesday night in the "spin rooms" to try and shape the post-debate news coverage. He'll also likely do some national interviews before the debate. O'Malley plans to leave for Colorado after the Board of Public Works Wednesday and return Thursday morning, according to a source close to the governor.

On Oct. 3, the evening of the first presidential debate, Carroll Community College will host a panel discussion preceding the event to introduce students and community members to the major issues, and open a dialogue leading up to the election. The debate will be televised to the gathering after the discussion, and the entire event will be held from 8 to 10:30 p.m. in room K-100, on campus, 1601 Washington Road, Westminster. The event is sponsored by the Great Ideas Academic Community at the college.

Can Mitt Romney possibly recover? Pundits and pollsters are beginning to doubt it. A survey conducted between Sept. 12 and Sept. 16 by the Pew Research Center -- before the "47 percent of Americans are victims" video came to light -- showed President Barack Obama ahead of Mr. Romney 51 percent to 43 percent among likely voters. That's the biggest margin in the September survey prior to a presidential election since Bill Clinton led Bob Dole, 50 percent to 38 percent, in 1996. And, remember, this poll was done before America watched Mr. Romney belittle almost half the nation.

After all the negative advertising, campaign promises and gaffes, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are set to have the first of their critical debates on Oct. 3 in Denver. While political scientists argue that, with a few exceptions, the personal face-offs have not been decisive, they have become high television drama, and this year's series should be no exception. Mr. Romney, while running close in the national polls, has remained a question mark. Even after the string of televised Republican primary debates and an avalanche of advertising, it is still unclear to many voters is what makes him tick and what specifically he intends to do about the economic challenge he will face if he wins in November.

Dictionary.com defines a "debate" as: "A formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers. " That is not what will take place during three exchanges between President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, or the one vice-presidential exchange between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan. The selection of liberal "moderators" for these sessions by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates is, as Joe Biden might say, a 20th-century model for the 20th century.

Why is it that the only party candidates that get into the presidential debates are Republicans and Democrats? Why not let a couple of the other parties' candidates participate as well? I would like to see the Green and Libertarian parties in the presidential debates this year and every election year afterward. That way the American people would have a better view of who is running and what they are proposing to do. John Hamilton, Columbia

Let's just say Tuesday night's Bloomberg-Washington Post debate was one of those times when TV got in the way of the story instead of bringing it to us. I am talking about the producers of the debate deciding to have the candidates sit around a big table instead of standing at lecturns to debate. The TV table onstage at Dartmouth College was intended to be an enlarged version of the table debate moderator Charlie Rose has become known for employing on his talk show. Memo to the folks responsible for making this decision: You don't shape presidential debates to the talents of your moderator.

Bishop Douglas I. Miles has lately been preaching a little something extra to his congregants at Koinonia Baptist Church in Northeast Baltimore - the gospel of tuning in to the presidential debates. His congregation listened - as did many others in the Baltimore area, where ratings collectively were the highest in the country for the first two presidential debates and the vice presidential debate. The third presidential debate between Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain airs at 9 o'clock tonight from Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y. "Parents and grandparents want their children and grandchildren to be witness to this historic event in the lives of the African-American community and America," Miles said.