Let The Debates Begin! Obama v Romney

Wasn't it on yesterday/last night?What happened?The impression I get is that US presidential debates are highly choreographed and stage managed affairs rather than genuine full-on debates and that it is more a question of whether anyone will make some sort of blunder or gaffe that can be analysed to death by the news networks.Given the lack of hysterical coverage here I am assuming that no blunders or gaffes occurred.

Have polls in the US ever been significantly wrong regarding an eventual actual presidential result?

As our resident right-winger what did you make of the debate? Did you see it? Is Romney the man for you?

This suggests both parties have raised about the same amount but that the dems have spent more of it to date.Do you think this explains Obama’s present lead? Do you think if they both spend the same amount (roughly) that it will be a close contest?Has the biggest spender ever lost the election?Edited by Straggler, : No reason given.

The NY Times figures also suggest it is reasonably even in terms of amount raised so far.If money spent were the only significant factor we should expect Romney to close the gap as he spends his extra-as-yet-unspent warchest shouldn't we?I guess it remains to be seen who raises the most cash as these things are presumably ongoing up until the last minute.

I think Oni's point is that the candidate who spends most wins. That a large amount of the funds used are via corporate donations doesn't detract from this. In fact it probably adds to his wider point.... Direct donations could indeed account for a correlation between popularity and campaign funds which nullifies the spend-to-win argument.So I guess the question now becomes what portion of each candidates campaign fund is gathered from individuals and what is through these super-pacs?Looking into the bewildering world of US political funding also revealed that even more influential than super pacs (in terms of sheer dollar amounts) are 501(c)(4)s.

quote:

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Two conservative nonprofits, Crossroads GPS and Americans for Prosperity, have poured almost $60 million into TV ads to influence the presidential race so far, outgunning all super PACs put together, new spending estimates show.

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These nonprofits, also known as 501(c)(4)s or c4s for their section of the tax code, don't have to disclose their donors to the public.

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SourceI can't find the figures but it seems likely that direct donations made by individuals to official campaign funds make up a relatively small amount of the total war-chest.

Aren't lies in the open less scary than lies behind closed doors?Or (to be facetiously Rumsfeldian) would we prefer known unknowns or unknown unknowns?

Is there any point voting for a president who cannot get anything through congress?Imagine that instead of some Obama-supporting-foreigner without a vote it is instead an undecided voter in a swing/close/key state asking you that question.How would you answer that question?