Romney-Obama debate formats set: But they matter less this time

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Investors Business Daily:

For the next few days, the news focus will be on two unfolding events: the London Summer Olympics with the athletic events we're able to glimpse in between $1 billion-plus worth of NBC ads and on Gov. Mitt Romney's overseas trip. Does he appear presidential? Bow? Or apologize to anyone in Britain, Israel or Poland?

Then come the July fundraising totals and the inevitably over-hyped build-up to Romney picking Tim Pawlenty for his VP slot. (You read it here first.) The conventions follow, first the Republicans in Tampa Aug. 27-30 and then the Dems in Charlotte Sept. 3-6.

Largely overlooked on the political calendar was Wednesday's announcement by the Commission on Presidential Debates of the four debate formats for October -- three presidential and one vice presidential.

The first comes Oct. 3 at the University of Denver on domestic issue questions chosen by the moderator, like all the moderators to be named next month. The next is the lone VP talk-off on foreign and domestic affairs Oct. 11 at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

 

Next is presidential Oct. 16 at Long Island's Hofstra University, a townhall-type meeting with questions from "undecided" voters selected by the Gallup polling organization.

 

 

The final presidential confrontation comes Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, another 90-minute Q&A by a moderator, this time on foreign affairs.

 

Count on saturation coverage of debate preps and tensions, especially the first. Casual spectators will imagine the awful pressures on each combatant. The fact is, however, spouses are usually the most nervous. At this level of politics, these guys usually relish such events, like pro athletes eagerly anticipating a big game. The spotlight. The high-wire walk. The chance to score points and make their case to the largest audiences of the excruciatingly long campaigns that Americans allow.

 

 

And don't forget, a big debate night can prompt big donor dollars within hours.

 

The political reality though is that debates, like college mid-terms, seem important at the time but end up mattering less at the end. Arguably, in hindsight only two presidential debates over their 52 years have been decisive:

 

 

The first in 1960 when Richard Nixon's make-up and shaver failed him on black-and-white TV while the country discovered a young, well-spoken senator in John F. Kennedy.

The other occurred in the final days of the 1980 campaign when two former governors faced off. President Jimmy Carter actually lead Ronald Reagan going into that set-to, as incumbents tend to do, even those burdened by a terrible economy.