Tonight 16th October 2012, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will do rhetorical battle in their second debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York at 9pm. The debate will be moderated by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, and will be a town hall-style format with the audience consisting of some 80 undecided voters from Nassau County. Audience members will ask the candidates questions throughout the debate, on both domestic and foreign policy issues. You read that correctly: this debate is going to hinge on a group of people who don't know whom they're voting for yet, and, as a hilarious added bonus, they're all from Long Island. In light of this situation, there's only one way to watch this debate, and that's while playing PolicyMic's brand new Presidential Debate Drinking Game (Second Edition). We'll be live-streaming the debate right here, as I provide live blog commentary.
This debate will involve as much BS as the first presidential debate did, which is saying something. But the close-quarters setting with an audience of "regular people" will likely give both candidates an air of sincerity that seems almost plausible. Obama should benefit more from this format, since he's not nearly as awkward as Romney when interacting with the unwashed masses. In the first debate, Obama turned in a lackluster performance, while Romney ran circles around the president, who seemed content to look down at his podium when he wasn't nonchalantly and dispassionately answering Jim Lehrer's questions. Tonight, Obama needs to project a little — just a little — Joe Biden. And he likely will, as it's not really possible to be any flatter than he was the first time around.
Naturally, if you're looking for substance, don't expect to find it here. All actual policy issues will be hopelessly buried under jargon as the candidates try to appeal to the broadest possible swath of voters. This is especially true of Romney, whose actual positions are so unpopular that he hasn't even attempted to explain how he's going to cut $5 trillion in taxes over the next ten years without blowing the budget deficit and national debt into deep space.
That's because there is no way Romney can cut $5 trillion in taxes in a decade without ballooning deficits unless he targets federal programs for some serious reductions or outright elimination. It's the old "starve the beast" approach: significantly reduce tax revenues, create an impending deficit disaster, and then out of sheer necessity, get Congress to implement serious cuts that harm anyone without a three-car garage. That way, $4 trillion of Romney's $5 trillion in tax cuts can go to families making more than $200,000 per year, while Ryan explains to all of us how we need to have "an adult conversation" about the tough choices we, as in all of us, need to make if we're going to balance the budget.
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