Five Things to Watch for in Tonight’s Presidential Debate

CNN, just like any other news station has it’s biases but today they offered what I thought to be a good list of the top five things to watch for during tonight’s presidential debate, one that is compatible with any political stand point in my opinion.  For underlying themes of theatricality  to personality, to domestic and foreign policy their top five picks include:

1. Who’s presidential? Who walks the walk and talks the talk, while not becoming too offensive or defensive.

2. Can Romney get Libya into the discussion? Can Romney stay on task and discuss only domestic policy, the focus of tonight’s debate, or will he struggle for a weakness and bring up Libya?

3. Who makes the case on the economy? Plain and simple, who discusses the economy with the best rational and who offers a solution that makes sense? (of course there will be bias here)

4. Can Obama get women and Latinos into the discussion? Will Obama pull in Romney’s weaknesses, mentioning the issues women and Latinos face and thus drawing in the comments and policies Romney has stated in the past regarding these populations?

5. Taking the zing out of zingers Romney’s campaign announced that he had been rehearsing comments and responses for this debate, zingers if you may, for months. Will we see  scripted gestures, comments, responses and sighs? Will they be obvious? How will the other candidate respond and what will be said after?

Obviously the article goes into more detail, so read on for that.

To me, the most important factors are items 1, 3, and 5. While I understand the point of having a script for speeches, I don’t want a president who is scripted and who can’t keep cool in debates or real world communication. That wouldn’t effectively work in the economic and global climate we exist in, a president simply cannot be scripted. He cannot have planned sighs and hand gestures because that just won’t work. He must not become too offensive or defensive, which could lead to problems with staff, and other world leaders. That would just not be good. Instead he must be able to maintain focus, stay on task, and act the role. A president is a figurehead of America for all the world to see, and we want one that represents us accordingly. The economy is a concern because I want to know what solutions are available and I want something that makes sense and seems tangible. The state of the economy influences all aspects of the field of social welfare including but not limited to: education, salaries, job openings, wait lists for services, funding available for services, service cuts, the types of populations we end up seeing and the ability of people to seek out and pay for services. Clearly this is important to social work and to ever aspect of our life for all people in America.

Thanks to CNN this scattered debate viewer (AKA me) will have some sort of guideline for watching.  But of course, what to look out for goes far beyond these 5 items.

Will you be watching? If so, what will you be looking for? Let’s hear it.