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How Does The Second Presidential Debate Work?

Jackie Mansky |
October 16, 2012 | 4:08 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

The second debate will offer a chance at redemption for Obama and a chance to build momentum for Romney. (Creative Commons)
The second debate will offer a chance at redemption for Obama and a chance to build momentum for Romney. (Creative Commons)
The second presidential debate Tuesday night at Hofstra University will take the candidates away from their podiums and instead insert them in a town-hall style debate format.

The debate, which will begin at 6 p.m. PDT, will feature questions from members of the audience who have been selected by Gallup, a polling firm, to represent the voices of uncommitted voters in New York's Nassau County.

As seen by the bump that Romney received after the first presidential debate in Denver, neither candidate can afford to come off as weak in this debate or they will risk falling behind with little time left to redeem themselves before Election Day.

While the president isn’t behind yet, NBC News reported that he needs to “stop” Romney's momentum and get it back on his side. 

The debate, which will be divided into six segments of 15 minutes, will provide “ample opportunity” for either candidate to sell his philosophy to independent voters or stumble to respond to questions which will be asked with a level of specificity that both sides have often sought to avoid, the New York Times reported.

It is expected that the format of the debate may result in some “particularly pointed questions” on the economic struggles of the middle class, the Caucus predicted.

Still, it is highly unlikely that the debate will assume the full atmosphere of a town hall format, Real Clear Politics predicted.

“Real town halls are usually unscripted and unpredictable and often raucous events. Town-hall debates are orderly, with the questions from the audience screened -- selected to represent questions the moderator would ask if they were doing the questioning.”

CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, who will serve as the moderator for the debate has said she is also prepared to interject with her own follow-up questions to give the debate more structure.  

On CNN’s “The Situation Room,” Crowley said, “I’m trying to just know what the facts are, what the [candidates’] positions are, so that when something comes up that maybe could use a little further explanation, it might be as simple as: ‘But the question, sir, was oranges and you said apples. Could you answer oranges?’ Or it might be as simple as: ‘But, gee, how does that fit with the following thing?'"

 Follow more of Neon Tommy's coverage on the second presidential debate here.

Reach Staff Reporter Jackie Mansky here.

 

 



 

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