The First 2012 Presidential Campaign Debate: The Decline of Reason in Presidential Debates

摘要

Conventional wisdom declared Mitt Romney the decisive winner of the first 2012 presidential debate, creating a momentum that appeared at the time could possibly allow Romney to capture the presidency. This shift in the campaign narrative occurred despite the fact that President Ohama committed no obvious gaffes and, based on a careful argumentative analysis, Obama was the superior debater in terms of making strong claims, citing evidence, and responding to arguments of the other side. Public response to this debate indicates a change in how audiences process presidential debates away from a focus on content of the arguments toward a greater focus on debates as political theater. Given the important function presidential debates serve in educating voters, this shift in audience focus is unfortunate.