WITH JUST 36 DAYS UNTIL THE

ELECTION, EVERYTHING THAT

HAPPENS IN THE RACE FOR

PRESIDENT TAKES ON ADDED

SIGNIFICANCE.

PERHAPS MOST NOTABLE, THE

THREE DEBATES FOR THE MAJOR

PARTY CANDIDATES THAT BEGIN

THIS WEEK

WEEK24 HOUR NEWS EIGHT

POLITICAL REPORTER RICK ALBIN

JOINS US WITH WHAT TO EXPECT

AND TO TRY TO WEIGH THE

IMPORTANCE OF THIS EVENT.RICK,

LET'S START THERE... DO THESE

DEBATES REALLY CHANGE A LOT OF

MINDS?

THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO.

DEBATES TRADITIONALLY TEND TO

RE-ENFORCE AN INDIVIDUALS

PREFERENCE ... IF YOU ARE

LEANING TOWARD A CANDIDATE IT

IS LIKELY THAT A DEBATE WILL

JUST CONFIRM WHAT YOU HAVE

ALREADY BEEN THINKING. THAT IS

MORE OR LESS THE HISTORY WITH

THE EXCEPTION OF ONE NOTABLE

GROUP OF VOTERS ... UNDECIDEDS

IN SWING STATES ... THIS YEAR

PERHAPS MORE THAN EVER THAT

GROUP OF 8 TO 12 STATES WILL

ALMOST CERTAINLY PICK THE NEXT

PRESIDENT AND THE DEBATES ...

PARTICULARLY THIS FIRST ONE

... COULD HAVE A BIG IMPACT.

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Q. DEBATES HAVE PROVIDED SOME

MAJOR MOMENTS FOR CANDIDATES

... BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

... WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE

EXAMPLES AND WHAT ARE THE

CHANCES WE WILL SEE SOMETHING

LIKE THAT THIS WEEK?

THE HISTORY IS PRETTY WELL

PART OF POLITICAL LORE ....

KENNEDY NIXON ... WHERE THE

RADIO AUDIENCE THOUGHT NIXON

PREVAILED WHILE THE TELEVISION

AUDIENCE SAW A NERVOUS LOOKING

MAN WHO NEEDED A SHAVE, UP

AGAINST THE CALM KENNEDY WHO

WENT ON TO WIN THE RACE OF

COURSE ... MANY LIKE TO

ROMANTICIZE THAT THIS DEBATE

WAS THE REASON, BUT IT IS

UNLIKELY THAT ANY DEBATE WAS

THE SOLE FACTOR ...

BUT THIS WAS THE COMING OF THE

TELEVISION AGE FOR DEBATES ...

IN 1976 JERRY FORD FAMOUSLY

CLAIMED THIS.

THAT OF COURSE WAS INACCURATE

AND GAVE JIMMY CARTER AN EDGE

IN THE DEBATE THOUGH MAKE NO

MISTAKE THE PARDON OR RICHARD

NIXON AND OTHER FACTORS HAD

MUCH MORE TO DO WITH FORDS

DEFEAT .. AND BY THE WAY HE

WAS CLOSING AT AN AMAZING RATE

AT THE END OF THAT RACE ...

MANY BELIEVE IF IT HAD GONE ON

ANOTHER 24 HOURS OR LESS THAT

FORD MIGHT HAVE PREVAILED.

THEN IN 1984 ... A

COMPARATIVELY YOUNGER WALTER

MONDALE SEEMED POISED TO TAKE

ON PRESIDENT REAGAN ... THEN

ALREADY IN HIS 70'S ... BY

SUGGESTING HE MIGHT BE TOO OLD

FOR A SECOND TERM ... REAGAN

ALMOST ERASED THE ISSUE WITH

THIS SINGLE DEBATE MOMENT

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REAGAN WON THE ELECTORAL

VOTE 525 TO 13. 3

13.Q. WHAT ABOUT Q. WHAT ABOUT

STYLE VERSES SUBSTANCE ...

WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT?

UNFORTUNATELY STYLE OFTEN

TRUMPS ... LOOK BACK AT 2000

WHEN AL GORE WAS ROLLING HIS

EYES AND LOOKED GENERALLY

DISDAINFUL OF GEORGE BUSH ...

PROBABLY DIDN'T HELP HIS CASE

IN ONE OF THE CLOSEST

PRESIDENTIAL RACE IN HISTORY.

IN 2004 IT WAS BUSH HISTORY.

IN 2004 RACE IN PRESIDENTIAL

THE CLOSEST CASE IN ONE OF

DIDN'T HELP HIS PROBABLY

GEORGE BUSH ... DISDAINFUL OF

GENERALLY LOOKED GENERALLY

DISDAINFUL OF GEORGE BUSH ...

PROBABLY DIDN'T HELP HIS CASE

IN ONE OF THE CLOSEST

PRESIDENTIAL RACE IN HISTORY.

IN 2004 IT WAS BUSH WHO LOOKED

BORED AND SEEMED IMPATIENT TO

GET DONE WITH THE DEBATES AND

AGAIN THAT IS A LOT OF WHAT

WAS TALKED ABOUT.

ABOUT.Q. FINALLY... WHO HAS

THE MOST TO GAIN OR LOSE ON

WEDNESDAY?

BY FAR MITT ROMNEY ... ON THE

DOWN SIDE IF HE MISSES ANY OF

THE OBVIOUSLY QUESTIONS ON

DOMESTIC ISSUES OR DOES NOT

HANDLE THEM WELL ... IT COULD

BE A LONG 34 DAYS TO NONMEMBER.

IF ON THE OTHER HAND HE HAS A

COMMAND OF THE ISSUES AND CAN

FIND A BREAK OUT MOMENT WHERE

HE DISTINGUISHES ... IN A

POSITIVE WAY ... .HIMSELF ROM

THE PRESIDENT HE COULD HELP

TURN THE CORNER ON A CAMPAIGN

THAT HAS SLIPPED IN THE LAST

COUPLE OF WEEKS.

FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA THE TASK

IS TO STAY ENGAGED ... DON'T

LOOK BORED AND MAKE SURE YOU

HIT YOUR MARKS ON ALL THE

QUESTIONS.

FOR BOTH, EVERY ANSWER WILL BE

DISSECTED AND REHASHED FOR 48

HOURS , PERHAPS LONGER, SO IF

YOU MESS IT UP ON WEDNESDAY

YOU WILL STILL BE DEALING WITH

IT ON THE SUNDAY SHOWS.

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