Presidential Election Debates: Obama vs. Romney (2012)
The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) held four debates during the 2012 U.S. presidential general election, all held in October 2012. Three of them involved the major party presidential nominees (incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney). The fourth debate was held, and one between the vice-presidential nominees (Vice President Joe Biden from Delaware and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin). In order to prevent a debate stage full of candidates, the CPD set three criteria for eligibility: constitutionally eligible, appearance on enough ballots to potentially reach 270 electoral votes, and an average at least 15% on five selected national polls. The only two candidates to meet these requirements were Obama and Romney.
On October 3, 2012 (the day of the first debate), both campaigns signed a memorandum of understanding governing technical and administrative details of the debate. The agreement set out the role of the moderator, staging and seating arrangements, and ticket distribution. Later that day, the first debate was held at the University of Denver and was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. According to the memorandum of understanding agreed to by both campaigns, both candidates would not make an opening statement. There were six 15 minute segments, with the moderator introducing a topic and giving one candidate two minutes, the other candidate two minutes, and approximately 8 minutes and 45 seconds of facilitated discussion between the two candidates, during which both candidates were expected to receivie approximately equal time. However, candidate responses during the first segments went overtime and the last few segments were markedly shorter. Both candidates spoke in front of a lectern. Other than applause at the beginning and end of the debate, there was no audience participation.
The segments were on the economy and job creation, the federal deficit, entitlements and differences between the candidates on Social Security, health care and the Affordable Care Act, the role and mission of the federal government of the United States, and governing in a presidential system and dealing with gridlock. More than 67 million Americans watched the debate, making it the most widely viewed first presidential debate in 32 years. 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. A CNN poll found a greater advantage for Romney among debate watchers overall, with 67% believing that Romney had done better, 25% believing that Obama had done better, and 8% believing that it was a tie. A Gallup poll found that 72% of the debate watchers believed Romney was the clear winner, 20% believed that Obama had won, and 9% believed it was a tie or had no opinion. Time Magazine's Joe Klein stated, "It was, in fact, one of the most inept performances I've ever seen by a sitting President." Obama looked tired and uninterested, he seldom addressed his opponent directly and was often looking down while Romney was speaking.
Moderator Jim Lehrer was criticized for allowing the candidates to speak overtime, but he defended his performance saying, "I've always said this and finally I had a chance to demonstrate it: The moderator should be seen little and heard even less. It is up to the candidates to ask the follow-up questions and challenge one another." Both Romney and Obama made favorable remarks about Lehrer.
The Vice presidential debate was held at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky on October 11, 2012. It was the only debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Representative Paul Ryan and it focused on domestic and foreign policy. The debate was broken down into nine 10-minute segments. 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.
A CBS poll of uncommitted voters found that 50% of those viewers thought Biden did better, 31% thought Ryan did better, and 19% thought they tied. A Reuters poll indicated Biden the superior candidate, 42% to 35% with 23% undecided or believing they tied. A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 48% of viewers believed Ryan had done better, 44% believed Biden had done better, and 8% believed they tied or had no opinion. Nate Silver's analysis of polling after the debate led to his concluding that, though both debaters performed adequately, Biden's performance helped to slow the momentum of the Romney campaign following the first presidential debate. The debate was watched by over 51 million people, making it the third most-watched vice presidential debate. ABC's Martha Raddatz was generally praised for her moderation during this debate.
Obama came out better prepared for the second presidential debate, held on October 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The debate was moderated by Candy Crowley of CNN, who was later criticized for correcting Romney during the course of one of his answer. Many believed that Crowley had acted unethically by appearing to take Obama's side on the question rather than remain neutral. The debate 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 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.
Although moderator Crowley had intended to allow 15 voters to ask their questions, due to the length of candidate responses, 11 voters had time to ask questions of the candidates. A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 46% of respondents believed that Obama had done better, 39% believed that Romney had done better, and 11% had no opinion or believed they tied. 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
The consensus was that Obama's showing in the second debate was considerably stronger in comparison with his performance in the first debate. He appeared to be more assertive and "tough" in the second debate. Romney was perceived to have not done as well as his previous performance. In answer to a question about equal pay for women, Romney said that as Governor of Massachusetts, he had collected "binders full of women" qualified to serve in his administration. His comment became an Internet meme and was parodied with pages on social networking sites. It was also adopted as a political attack line on Romney's attitude towards women issues.
The candidates disagreed as to whether Obama declared the Libyan consular attack as terrorism the day after the event or, as Romney claimed, erroneously said it was a protest caused by an anti-Muslim video for two weeks before identifying it as a terrorist attack. At the end of that exchange, moderator Candy Crowley told Romney that Obama's statement, referring to a transcript of his speech, was correct and Romney was wrong. Crowley said in part, during the debate, "He did call it an act of terror." In his Rose Garden closing remarks, the President had said in part, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation." But many believed that it was wrong for Crowley to inject her opinion into the debate, raising serious questions about her objectivity.
The third and final presidential debate was held on October 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. The moderator was Bob Schieffer of CBS. Topics discussed included the recent attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, Iran's nuclear program, the Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war, relations with Israel, relations with Pakistan, the War on Terror, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the size and scope of the U.S. military, and relations and trade with China.
The format of this debate was identical to that of the first debate. There were six 15-minute segments, with the moderator introducing a topic and giving each candidate two minutes to respond, before allowing the candidates to discuss the topics. A CBS poll of uncommitted voters found that 53% believed that Obama won, 23% believed that Romney won, and 24% called the debate a tie. A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 48% of respondents called Obama the winner, 40% called Romney the winner, and 12% had no opinion or thought they tied. Schieffer was praised for his moderating.
Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein sued the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee, alleging that the Commission's failure to extend them an invitation to the 2012 violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and the First Amendment. Their suit was dismissed by the federal courts.
On election day Obama defeated Romney, winning a majority of both the Electoral College and the popular vote. Obama won 332 electoral votes and 51.1% of the popular vote compared to Romney's 206 electoral votes and 47.2%. Obama was the first incumbent since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 to win reelection with fewer electoral votes and a smaller popular vote margin than had been won in the previous election. He was also the first two-term president since Ronald Reagan to win both his presidential bids with a majority of the nationwide popular vote (50% or more). Of the 9 swing states identified by the Washington Post in the 2012 election, Obama won 8, losing only North Carolina narrowly.
On October 3, 2012 (the day of the first debate), both campaigns signed a memorandum of understanding governing technical and administrative details of the debate. The agreement set out the role of the moderator, staging and seating arrangements, and ticket distribution. Later that day, the first debate was held at the University of Denver and was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS. According to the memorandum of understanding agreed to by both campaigns, both candidates would not make an opening statement. There were six 15 minute segments, with the moderator introducing a topic and giving one candidate two minutes, the other candidate two minutes, and approximately 8 minutes and 45 seconds of facilitated discussion between the two candidates, during which both candidates were expected to receivie approximately equal time. However, candidate responses during the first segments went overtime and the last few segments were markedly shorter. Both candidates spoke in front of a lectern. Other than applause at the beginning and end of the debate, there was no audience participation.
The segments were on the economy and job creation, the federal deficit, entitlements and differences between the candidates on Social Security, health care and the Affordable Care Act, the role and mission of the federal government of the United States, and governing in a presidential system and dealing with gridlock. More than 67 million Americans watched the debate, making it the most widely viewed first presidential debate in 32 years. 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. A CNN poll found a greater advantage for Romney among debate watchers overall, with 67% believing that Romney had done better, 25% believing that Obama had done better, and 8% believing that it was a tie. A Gallup poll found that 72% of the debate watchers believed Romney was the clear winner, 20% believed that Obama had won, and 9% believed it was a tie or had no opinion. Time Magazine's Joe Klein stated, "It was, in fact, one of the most inept performances I've ever seen by a sitting President." Obama looked tired and uninterested, he seldom addressed his opponent directly and was often looking down while Romney was speaking.
Moderator Jim Lehrer was criticized for allowing the candidates to speak overtime, but he defended his performance saying, "I've always said this and finally I had a chance to demonstrate it: The moderator should be seen little and heard even less. It is up to the candidates to ask the follow-up questions and challenge one another." Both Romney and Obama made favorable remarks about Lehrer.
The Vice presidential debate was held at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky on October 11, 2012. It was the only debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Representative Paul Ryan and it focused on domestic and foreign policy. The debate was broken down into nine 10-minute segments. 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.
A CBS poll of uncommitted voters found that 50% of those viewers thought Biden did better, 31% thought Ryan did better, and 19% thought they tied. A Reuters poll indicated Biden the superior candidate, 42% to 35% with 23% undecided or believing they tied. A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 48% of viewers believed Ryan had done better, 44% believed Biden had done better, and 8% believed they tied or had no opinion. Nate Silver's analysis of polling after the debate led to his concluding that, though both debaters performed adequately, Biden's performance helped to slow the momentum of the Romney campaign following the first presidential debate. The debate was watched by over 51 million people, making it the third most-watched vice presidential debate. ABC's Martha Raddatz was generally praised for her moderation during this debate.
Obama came out better prepared for the second presidential debate, held on October 16 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The debate was moderated by Candy Crowley of CNN, who was later criticized for correcting Romney during the course of one of his answer. Many believed that Crowley had acted unethically by appearing to take Obama's side on the question rather than remain neutral. The debate 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 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.
Although moderator Crowley had intended to allow 15 voters to ask their questions, due to the length of candidate responses, 11 voters had time to ask questions of the candidates. A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 46% of respondents believed that Obama had done better, 39% believed that Romney had done better, and 11% had no opinion or believed they tied. 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
The consensus was that Obama's showing in the second debate was considerably stronger in comparison with his performance in the first debate. He appeared to be more assertive and "tough" in the second debate. Romney was perceived to have not done as well as his previous performance. In answer to a question about equal pay for women, Romney said that as Governor of Massachusetts, he had collected "binders full of women" qualified to serve in his administration. His comment became an Internet meme and was parodied with pages on social networking sites. It was also adopted as a political attack line on Romney's attitude towards women issues.
The candidates disagreed as to whether Obama declared the Libyan consular attack as terrorism the day after the event or, as Romney claimed, erroneously said it was a protest caused by an anti-Muslim video for two weeks before identifying it as a terrorist attack. At the end of that exchange, moderator Candy Crowley told Romney that Obama's statement, referring to a transcript of his speech, was correct and Romney was wrong. Crowley said in part, during the debate, "He did call it an act of terror." In his Rose Garden closing remarks, the President had said in part, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation." But many believed that it was wrong for Crowley to inject her opinion into the debate, raising serious questions about her objectivity.
The third and final presidential debate was held on October 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. The moderator was Bob Schieffer of CBS. Topics discussed included the recent attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, Iran's nuclear program, the Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war, relations with Israel, relations with Pakistan, the War on Terror, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the size and scope of the U.S. military, and relations and trade with China.
The format of this debate was identical to that of the first debate. There were six 15-minute segments, with the moderator introducing a topic and giving each candidate two minutes to respond, before allowing the candidates to discuss the topics. A CBS poll of uncommitted voters found that 53% believed that Obama won, 23% believed that Romney won, and 24% called the debate a tie. A CNN poll of debate watchers found that 48% of respondents called Obama the winner, 40% called Romney the winner, and 12% had no opinion or thought they tied. Schieffer was praised for his moderating.
Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein sued the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee, alleging that the Commission's failure to extend them an invitation to the 2012 violated the Sherman Antitrust Act and the First Amendment. Their suit was dismissed by the federal courts.
On election day Obama defeated Romney, winning a majority of both the Electoral College and the popular vote. Obama won 332 electoral votes and 51.1% of the popular vote compared to Romney's 206 electoral votes and 47.2%. Obama was the first incumbent since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 to win reelection with fewer electoral votes and a smaller popular vote margin than had been won in the previous election. He was also the first two-term president since Ronald Reagan to win both his presidential bids with a majority of the nationwide popular vote (50% or more). Of the 9 swing states identified by the Washington Post in the 2012 election, Obama won 8, losing only North Carolina narrowly.