The presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney scheduled on Wednesday, will mark the first time the two will be able to directly challenge each other on economic issues.
According to Reuters, viewers should be able to keep track on the outcome of the debate, by paying close attention to these following five factors:
Romney on Offense, Obama on Defense
With less than six weeks left until Election Day, Romney is under a lot of pressure to deliver a performance that will shift voters in his direction. President Obama, on the other hand, just needs to avoid a disastrous performance that could cause independent voters to lose their support.
"Obama just wants to avoid any big mistakes. Typically candidates are undone more by their own mistakes than by the successes of their opponents, the witty ripostes or devastating one liners of their opponents," George Washington University political science professor John Sides, told Reuter.
"For Romney, there's more pressure and he really needs the debate to change the dynamic of the race."
Eyes Never Lie
The body language of the candidates can have a bigger impact than the words they speak. According to Reuters, Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, looked at his watch in a 1992 debate, a move that many interpreted as impatient and aloof. Obama and Romney need to avoid such missteps.
Body and language expert Janine Driver, told Reuters that shoulder shrugs indicate uncertainty, wrinkled upper lip signal disgust, and eye blinking, either too much or too little, can covey stress. But, if a candidate turns his body to face his opponent, that conveys confidence.
"We'll see them face each other when they think they're going to knock it out of the park," Driver told Reuters. "I call it 'navel intelligence.'"
Who Wins the First Round?
The candidates need to establish their points and launch their most important attacks early in the debate, while reporters and viewers are highly interested, according to former Gore adviser Ron Klain.
"While you can lose a debate at any time, you can only win it in the first 30 minutes," Klain told Reuters.
The Devil is in the Details
Both candidates will try to pin their competition down on areas they think they are vulnerable. President Obama usually accuses Romney of his tax and budget plans and Romney will usually indicate that the president strays away from the truth, without directly calling him a liar, according to Reuters.
Will Romney Throw Former President Bush Under the Bus?
Romney has tried to make the election about the progress of Obama's economic strategies, and according to Reuters, many voter still blame the downturn of the economy on former republican president, George W. Bush.
"Until Governor Romney can show why his policies would be different from Bush's policies, then we think it is highly unlikely that he can win," Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst Brian Gardner wrote in a research note, according to Reuters.
