Ever wonder why we raise our eyebrows in surprise? Do you want to know
why people smile when they meet a stranger or the reason why teenage girls
scrunch up their noses in disgust at their parent’s rules? Why do we have
common facial expressions for emotions?Here is a new research study that explains the origin of facial
expressions.
What
Are Emotion Expressions For?
ScienceDaily (Jan. 3,
2012) — That cartoon scary
face -- wide eyes, ready to run -- may have helped our primate ancestors
survive in a dangerous wild, according to the authors of an article published
in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the
Association for Psychological Science. The authors present a way that fear and
other facial expressions might have evolved and then come to signal a person's
feelings to the people around him.
The basic idea,
according to Azim F. Shariff of the University of Oregon, is that the specific
facial expressions associated with each particular emotion evolved for some
reason. Shariff cowrote the paper with Jessica L. Tracy of the University of
British Columbia. So fear helps respond to threat, and the squinched-up nose
and mouth of disgust make it harder for you to inhale anything poisonous
drifting on the breeze. The outthrust chest of pride increases both
testosterone production and lung capacity so you're ready to take on anyone.
Then, as social living became more important to the evolutionary success of
certain species -- most notably humans -- the expressions evolved to serve a social
role as well; so a happy face, for example, communicates a lack of threat and
an ashamed face communicates your desire to appease.
The research is based in
part on work from the last several decades showing that some emotional
expressions are universal -- even in remote areas with no exposure to Western
media, people know what a scared face and a sad face look like, Shariff says.
This type of evidence makes it unlikely that expressions were social
constructs, invented in Western Europe, which then spread to the rest of the
world.
And it's not just across
cultures, but across species. "We seem to share a number of similar
expressions, including pride, with chimpanzees and other apes," Shariff
says. This suggests that the expressions appeared first in a common ancestor.
The theory that
emotional facial expressions evolved as a physiological part of the response to
a particular situation has been somewhat controversial in psychology; another
article in the same issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science argues
that the evidence on how emotions evolved is not conclusive.
Shariff and Tracy agree
that more research is needed to support some of their claims, but that, "A
lot of what we're proposing here would not be all that controversial to other
biologists," Shariff says. "The specific concepts of 'exaptation' and
'ritualization' that we discuss are quite common when discussing the evolution
of non-human animals." For example, some male birds bring a tiny morsel of
food to a female bird as part of an elaborate courtship display. In that case,
something that might once have been biologically relevant -- sharing food with
another bird -- has evolved over time into a signal of his excellence as a
potential mate. In the same way, Shariff says, facial expressions that started
as part of the body's response to a situation may have evolved into a social
signal.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
Patti was interviewed by the BBC on 10 of the lesser-spotted things about American presidential politics - and about
this campaign. Patti shares her insights on the "Thumb Jab" gesture that President Obama has used throughout his campaign. Click the link below to read about the 10 Oddities explained!
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
If you are giving Job interviews, media interviews,
attending business meetings or talking to friends and families over Skype you
can improve the quality of the interaction and body language by changing
where you sit and how the camera is placed. It is important if you are
using a camera on your laptop or desk top on the small computer screen of Skype
that you sit back from the camera so people can see more of your body.
The more body windows they see such as the honest window at the palms of your
hands and the more gestures they see the better they will understand your
message and the more they will feel comfortable with you and like you. You
don’t just want to be a big ole’ bopping head.
I did a Skype interview with the Wall Street Journal two
weeks ago about the last presidential debate. I was in a hotel room in
Greensboro, North Carolina that day so I only had my laptop. I was so pleased
that the producer and tech person liked that I had pushed back my chair from
the desk where my lap top was sitting and that they suggested that I put the
laptop on top of several books and aim the camera down to get a great full
sitting body view. The change in view is tremendously advantageous. You
now are able to give more body language cues to others and can create a richer
feedback loop so there is more clarity; you know not only what people are
saying with their words but also what they feel.
View My Skype Interview from Greensboro for the Wall Street Journal Below!
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
Check the link below to read Patti's insights on the body language of President Obama and Mitt Romney during the final Presidential debate for Current.com.
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
Articles/videos are from the
following news sources:
Huffington Post Associated Press NPR.org AFP Current.com Meetings & Conventions Magazine CNN Live My Fox Atlanta with Lynn Franco My Fox Tampa Bay HLN Evening Express with Kyra Phillips truTV with John Goodman BBC News US & Canada The Wall Street Journal Live Lunch Break with Wendy Bounds Americas Radio News Network KTAR = The Voice of Arizona KPBS.org (San Diego, CA) Tuscaloosa News Daily Herald M.Knoxnews.com Constitution Daily Newsone.com Nola.com (Greater New Orleans) Examiner-Enterprise.com Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, WA)
Obama Seeks To Regain Momentum
Against Mitt Romney In Presidential Debate
Posted:
10/16/2012 7:37 am Updated: 10/16/2012 9:35 am
By NANCY BENAC,
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON —
The pressure is on President Barack Obama to deliver a Goldilocks performance
in the second debate: Not too cool, as he was in his first, listless encounter
with Mitt Romney. And not too hot, as some critics styled Vice President Joe
Biden in his faceoff with Paul Ryan.
With the race
extremely tight and little time left for a breakout moment, Obama is intent on
getting the porridge just right in a 90-minute, one-on-one faceoff Tuesday at
Hofstra University on New York's Long Island.
The candidates
will take questions on domestic and foreign policy from an audience of about 80
of the coveted uncommitted voters whom both campaigns are so furiously courting
with just three weeks left until Election Day. The town hall-style format makes
it especially tricky for Obama to strike the right balance in coming on strong
against Romney without turning off the audience – and tens of millions of
television viewers – by going too negative.
The importance
attached to this year's debates is reflected in the significant chunks of time
that both candidates have spent preparing. Obama, faulted for being
ill-prepared for the first faceoff with Romney, largely dropped out of sight
for the last three days to attend "debate camp" at a resort in
Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear victor in Round One, has devoted big
blocks of time to rehearsals over the last several days as well.
The Campaign
2012 juggernaut has raced ahead nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled new ads,
hustled at the grassroots level to lock down every possible voter, dispatched
surrogates to rev up enthusiasm and kept the running mates busy raising cash
and campaigning in the most hotly contested states.
Obama's
campaign turned to former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday to make the case
against what it says is Romney's $5 trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a web
video for the campaign, picking apart Romney's tax plan piece by piece, saying
his approach "hasn't worked before and it won't work this time."
The president's
campaign says Romney hid from his tax proposal during the first debate, and
pledged Obama would be more aggressive in calling out his rival's shifts on
that and other issues this time around. Clinton, who has been praised by
Democrats for explaining Obama's economic arguments more clearly than the
president himself, appeared to be laying the groundwork in the video released
hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's
campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging news, also released a new ad Monday in
which ordinary Americans talk about signs of economic progress.
"Stick
with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan played
counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and Wisconsin that while Obama had
inherited a tough economic situation, the president's policies had only made
things worse.
In an
in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their "Commit to Mitt Early Vote
Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg, where Obama was rehearsing for the
debate, to encourage Virginians to cast early ballots for the GOP ticket.
Count Michelle
Obama among the million-plus people around the country who've already voted –
in her case, not for Romney. Mrs. Obama dropped her Illinois absentee ballot in
the mail Monday to highlight the convenience of getting voting out of the way
ahead of Election Day.
"Today! I
voted for my husband. Yes!" she enthused before college students in
Delaware, Ohio. "It felt so good."
The president
plans to cast an in-person ballot in Chicago on Oct. 25 – making history as the
first incumbent to vote early.
Obama issued a
fundraising appeal via email Monday in which he told supporters, "Listen,
this race is tied" and said the outcome would determine the country's
future for decades.
"That's
what I'll be fighting for up on that stage tomorrow night – but I can't do it
alone," he added.
Romney's
campaign released its latest fundraising report, showing the Republicans raised
more than $170 million in September, slightly behind Obama's $181 million haul
for the month. But Republicans have been energized by Romney's strong debate
performance two weeks ago, and his top donors are holding a three-day retreat
at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to talk strategy.
There's been no
letup in the pace of activity in the nine battleground states whose electoral
votes will decide the election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire,
North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Ryan attends
rallies in Virginia on Tuesday, but Biden postponed a two-day campaign swing
through Nevada to attend Tuesday's funeral for former Sen. Arlen Specter in
Pennsylvania. The two served together in the Senate for nearly two decades.
Michelle Obama
campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday.
Romney is
hoping to keep his momentum going with another solid debate performance. Recent
national polls show likely voters about evenly divided, but multiple surveys
have detected increasing enthusiasm among Romney backers.
"The
debate was huge and we've seen our numbers move all across the country,"
Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio station WPHT.
Now Obama is
looking for the same kind of boost from a comeback performance.
"The
president is his own harshest critic and he knows that Mitt Romney had a better
debate," said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki. She described the
president as "calm and energized and just looking forward to getting to
New York" for the debate.
Body language
expert Patti Wood said the first two debates had showed the importance of
projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter
Romney's forceful debate performance, she said, Obama needs to work on
projecting "alpha" non-verbal signals, conveying that "he really
wants to move forward, he really wants to win, he really wants to continue to
be president."
Biden, she
said, overcompensated for Obama's lackluster performance and "went way
over the top on volume level and aggressive interruption, rabbit-like
jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's
debate audience of uncommitted voters was selected by the Gallup Organization.
Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will choose those who get to speak, after
reviewing proposed questions to avoid repeats.
The final
debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.,
focusing on foreign policy.
·Body language could play key role in
debatesMore>>
ATLANTA -
An Atlanta body language expert says the
presidential debates show the importance of projecting a strong image to
viewers. The candidate's image when not answering a question can be a vital
ingredient.
By all accounts, President Barack Obama needs to overcome a lackluster
performance in the first debate. But he has to strike a balance. So does Mitt
Romney.
The first debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney grabbed a huge
audience.
Metro Atlanta voters say they'll be watching on Tuesday, especially to see if the
President makes a debate comeback.
"I just thought his energy level was low and he didn't seem too exicted to
be there, and I think he made a mistake," said Jane Mohler.
"I'm just looking to get a better understanding of their positions – what
each candidate is really about. Given that I haven't really been watching it,
this will give me an opportunity to see what they're talking about," said
Angela Frazier.
The candidates will address an audience of uncommitted voters. It'll be a more
personal setting than the first debate.
Body language expert
Patti Wood said that the President has
shown he can play off an audience's energy.
"And he actually has the ability, historically, to set that energy in
motion, and be the cook and the chef and say ‘This is what it's going to be
like.' I'm looking to see if he can do that," said Wood.
She says that this time, President Barack Obama should look at Romney when the
former governor is speaking. She said that he can make faces to express
displeasure or disagreement.
"I would prefer that than his disengagement as last time, as if it wasn't
worth his time," Wood said.
While Romney won points last time for his energy and command, Wood says the
Republican should avoid being seen as too aggressive in this second round.
"He, in that last debate, was using a lot of sweeping, powerful gestures
that were symbolic weapons. He's going to have to pull that back in a little
bit," Wood.
Since the President and Romney won't be tied to a podium or table, body
language could play an even more important role in this debate as the
candidates interact with the audience and each other.
President Obama's poor showing in the first
presidential debate was hailed as a turning point in the race for the White
House. So how did he and Republican Mitt Romney fare in round two?
The president's performance in the first
debate in Denver was so poor that it earned its own nickname: the Rocky
Mountain Horror Show.
His habit of looking down at his notes, his
often sour mien and his lacklustre demeanour were three criticisms fired in his
direction. Meanwhile, Republican Mitt Romney appeared to be dynamic, energetic
and relaxed.
All eyes were on the style of their
performances in Tuesday night's rematch in New York. We asked the experts how
they did.
Hand gestures
"Finger-pointing is not something
typically I would coach," says body language expert
Patti Wood.
"But all the normal rules are off because
this was all-out war."
Finger-pointing is an aggressive act that is
like brandishing a weapon, she says. With pointed fingers it's a gun and with
each jab it's like firing a bullet.
That's not advisable in a town hall-style
debate, she says, in case the finger is pointed at the audience. On a
subliminal level, people respond to that very negatively, she says.
"It's a primal brain response to the
prospect of danger and it could turn off some people watching, in the same way
that their circling of each other like predatory animals probably did."
But a hand, palm down and swept through the
air, is more like a sword, which is what Mr Romney did several times in Mr
Obama's direction, says Ms Wood. While still threatening, it's less obviously
so.
eye contact
Mr Obama maintained eye contact throughout -
with Mr Romney, with the audience and with moderator Candy Crowley, says Carl
Grecco, who has been a high school debating coach for more than 50 years.
"His head was up a lot more than the
first debate. The fact that you're comfortable in your environment is in part
decided by the fact you're looking at your audience."
What a difference two
weeks makes
Facial expressions
"Romney was coached to smile as much as
possible and to be warm," says Ms Wood. "He was smiling when he
listened and appeared warmer and more likeable than Obama."
But Mr Obama was much improved from the first
debate, when he was rolling his eyes, dropping his head and adopting a sour
expression, she adds.
"This time he kept his face up for the
most part, held his body forward, and his 'resting face' was more relaxed.
Mr Romney smiled less as the debate went on,
she adds, perhaps because he felt he was losing some of the arguments. And he
still has an unappealing habit of occasionally tilting his head and smirking.
Engagement with audience
The challenge of the town hall format is to be
forceful with your opponent but not to the people asking the questions from the
floor, says Ms Wood, author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body
Language and Charisma.
"Romney did that, either by looking
behind at Obama or by gesturing behind when talking about him, as if to say
'I'm saying this about Obama'," she says.
"He is saying 'We are in on the fact that
the bad guy is behind me.'
Romney brought the
audience into his attacks on Obama
"Obama wasn't as good at this, because he
would talk about Romney while looking out front, at the audience."
Owning the stage
"Sometimes Romney wasn't quite sure what
to do when it wasn't his turn to talk," says Anthony Meindl, who runs an
acting workshop in Los Angeles.
"Romney just stood there and he wasn't
confident in his body gestures, which said 'What do I do?' As a viewer I was
uncomfortable looking at him."
In contrast, says Mr Meindl, Mr Obama adopted
a strategy early on in the debate of walking back to sit down after he had
answered a question, although he got up from his stool to counter-attack when
he felt Mr Romney was intruding his space.
Both men exuded authority and aggression
without being disrespectful, says Mr Meindl, who thinks the contest was at
times reminiscent of Roman gladiators.
"But there's an intangible quality that
certain people like Obama have, which is that you connect with what they are
saying on a personal level."
Voice
Obama on Libya attacks
Mr Romney seldom has a soft voice, says Mr
Grecco, and that can mean that he sometimes seems to lack warmth.
Mr Obama can do both voices, he says, a soft
one and a strident one, as he did when he was talking about the attacks on the
consulate in Libya, which killed four Americans on 11 September.
The voice was soft when he talked about seeing
the caskets coming home and meeting the grieving families, says Mr Grecco.
And it became more strident when he attacked
Mr Romney as "offensive" for suggesting a cover-up.
By Aaron
Granillo
Originally published: Oct 16, 2012 - 8:46 am
Aaron Granillo
News Editor
Contact Aaron Granillo by:
PHOENIX -- Candidates could reveal a lot not by what they
say, but rather what they show.
Body language expert Patti Wood said President Obama looked
submissive in Denver during the first debate against Republican challenger Mitt
Romney.
"He's got to gain ground by forceful gestures,"
Wood said. "I'm specifically interested to see if Obama will actually
engage Romney by gesturing out, away from his body towards Romney. That
symbolically looks like an attack."
Wood said tonight's debate is more critical for the
president, who needs a strong bounce back performance from the first
presidential debate.
"Romney is a great debater and a great fighter so I'm
interested to see if he can also engage the audience," Wood said. "The
anger and that power he used in the first debate won't play off the same way
with an audience present."
Inspiring, personal stories will likely come up during the
debate. Wood said both candidates can use storytelling to their advantage.
"If Romney has the opportunity to tell stories, his
voice can become much more real and sincere when he does that," Wood said.
"Obama is a great storyteller, so I'm interested to see
how those two storytellers will play off each other."Both candidates will
be taking questions directly from an audience of undecided voters.
The set of Tuesday's presidential
debate between Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov.
Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama is seen, Monday at Hofstra University in
Hempstead, N.Y.
The Associated Press
By Nancy Benac
The Associated Press
Published:
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 9:44 a.m.
Last
Modified: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 9:44 a.m.
The
importance attached to this year's debates is reflected in the significant
chunks of time that both candidates have spent preparing. Obama, faulted for
being ill-prepared for the first faceoff with Romney, largely dropped out of
sight for the last three days to attend "debate camp" at a resort in
Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear victor in Round One, has devoted big blocks
of time to rehearsals over the last several days as well.
The
Campaign 2012 juggernaut has raced ahead nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled
new ads, hustled at the grassroots level to lock down every possible voter,
dispatched surrogates to rev up enthusiasm and kept the running mates busy
raising cash and campaigning in the most hotly contested states.
With both
candidates preparing for the Tuesday night debate and Vice President Joe Biden
attending former Senate colleague Arlen Specter's funeral, Ryan was the only
member of either ticket out campaigning. He was taking a swing through
Virginia. In an interview with Virginia's conservative radio host John
Fredericks, Ryan said supporters who are working to get out the vote for the
GOP ticket "have been just really doing the Lord's work all throughout the
state."
"We're
doing it for our country," Ryan said. "We're doing it for each
other."
Romney
picked up the backing of former independent presidential candidate H. Ross
Perot. "We can't afford four more years in which debt mushrooms out of
control, our government grows and our military is weakened," Perot wrote
in an editorial announcing his endorsement Tuesday in the Des Moines Register.
Obama's
campaign turned to former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday to make the case
against what it says is Romney's $5 trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a web
video for the campaign, picking apart Romney's tax plan piece by piece, saying
his approach "hasn't worked before and it won't work this time."
The
president's campaign says Romney hid from his tax proposal during the first
debate, and pledged Obama would be more aggressive in calling out his rival's
shifts on that and other issues this time around. Clinton, who has been praised
by Democrats for explaining Obama's economic arguments more clearly than the
president himself, appeared to be laying the groundwork in the video released
hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's
campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging news, also released a new ad Monday in
which ordinary Americans talk about signs of economic progress.
"Stick
with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan
played counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and Wisconsin that while Obama had
inherited a tough economic situation, the president's policies had only made
things worse.
In an
in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their "Commit to Mitt Early Vote
Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg, where Obama was rehearsing for the
debate, to encourage Virginians to cast early ballots for the GOP ticket.
The
president plans to cast an in-person ballot in Chicago on Oct. 25 — making
history as the first incumbent to vote early. First lady Michelle Obama dropped
her Illinois absentee ballot in the mail Monday.
Obama
issued a fundraising appeal via email Monday in which he told supporters,
"Listen, this race is tied" and said the outcome would determine the
country's future for decades."That's
what I'll be fighting for up on that stage tomorrow night — but I can't do it
alone," he added.
Romney's
campaign released its latest fundraising report, showing the Republican raised
more than $170 million in September, slightly behind Obama's $181 million haul
for the month. But Republicans have been energized by Romney's strong debate
performance two weeks ago, and his top donors are holding a three-day retreat
at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to talk strategy.
There's
been no letup in the pace of activity in the nine battleground states whose
electoral votes will decide the election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Mrs. Obama
campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday before heading to New York to watch the
debate. She told NBC's "Today" show in an interview aired Tuesday
that she's always "primed" as she sits in the audience, in case her
husband looks at her for encouragement.
"I'm
perched, I'm looking at him, I'm smiling, I'm giving a thumbs up if he can see
it — with the lights you just never can tell," she said. "I assume
that he can so I make sure that I'm always giving him that positive love."
Romney is
hoping to keep his momentum going with another solid debate performance. Recent
national polls show likely voters about evenly divided, but multiple surveys
have detected increasing enthusiasm among Romney backers.
"The
debate was huge and we've seen our numbers move all across the country,"
Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio station WPHT.
Now Obama
is looking for the same kind of boost from a comeback performance.
"The president is his own
harshest critic and he knows that Mitt Romney had a better debate," said
campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki. She described the president as "calm
and energized and just looking forward to getting to New York" for the
debate.
Body language expert Patti Wood said
the first presidential debate and its vice presidential counterpart showed the
importance of projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter Romney's forceful debate
performance, she said, Obama needs to work on projecting "alpha"
non-verbal signals, conveying that "he really wants to move forward, he
really wants to win, he really wants to continue to be president."
Biden, she said, overcompensated for
Obama's lackluster performance and "went way over the top on volume level
and aggressive interruption, rabbit-like jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's debate audience of
uncommitted voters was selected by the Gallup Organization. Moderator Candy
Crowley of CNN will choose those who get to speak, after reviewing proposed
questions to avoid repeats.
The final debate of the campaign
will be Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., focusing on foreign
policy.
16 Oct. 2012 9:13 AM ET Obama out
to seize momentum from Romney in debate By NANCY BENACBy
NANCY BENAC, Associated Press
A worker looks out from a cut-out in
the set as stand-ins for Republican presidential candidate, former
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, and President Barack Obama, left, run
through a rehearsal ahead of Tuesday's presidential debate, Monday, Oct. 15,
2012, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
orker
looks out from a cut-out in the set as stand-ins for Republican presidential
candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, and President Barack
Obama, left, run through a rehearsal ahead of Tuesday's presidential debate, Monday,
Oct. 15, 2012, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. (AP Photo/David
Goldman)
A member
of the media moves equipment outside the media filing center in preparation for
Tuesday's presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Republican presidential
candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, at
Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Republican
vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. holds up what he said was
his lucky buckeye that was given to him by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, during a
campaign rally, Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati. (AP
Photo/Al Behrman)
Williams
Martinez, left, and Kirt Gallatin, right, lift a two-story high sign in
preparation for the Presidential debate at Hofstra University, Monday, Oct. 15,
2012, in Hempsted, New York. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential
candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will hold their second
debate Tuesday. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
. .
WASHINGTON (AP)
— The pressure is on President Barack Obama to deliver a Goldilocks performance
in the second debate: Not too cool, as he was in his first, listless encounter
with Mitt Romney. And not too hot, as some critics styled Vice President Joe
Biden in his faceoff with Paul Ryan.
With the race
extremely tight and little time left for a breakout moment, Obama is intent on
getting the porridge just right in a 90-minute, one-on-one faceoff Tuesday at
Hofstra University on New York's Long Island.
The candidates
will take questions on domestic and foreign policy from an audience of about 80
of the coveted uncommitted voters whom both campaigns are so furiously courting
with just three weeks left until Election Day. The town hall-style format makes
it especially tricky for Obama to strike the right balance in coming on strong
against Romney without turning off the audience — and tens of millions of
television viewers — by going too negative.
The importance
attached to this year's debates is reflected in the significant chunks of time
that both candidates have spent preparing. Obama, faulted for being
ill-prepared for the first faceoff with Romney, largely dropped out of sight
for the last three days to attend "debate camp" at a resort in
Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear victor in Round One, has devoted big
blocks of time to rehearsals over the last several days as well.
The Campaign
2012 juggernaut has raced ahead nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled new ads,
hustled at the grassroots level to lock down every possible voter, dispatched
surrogates to rev up enthusiasm and kept the running mates busy raising cash
and campaigning in the most hotly contested states.
With both
candidates preparing for the Tuesday night debate and Vice President Joe Biden
attending former Senate colleague Arlen Specter's funeral, Ryan was the only
member of either ticket out campaigning. He was taking a swing through
Virginia. In an interview with Virginia's conservative radio host John
Fredericks, Ryan said supporters who are working to get out the vote for the
GOP ticket "have been just really doing the Lord's work all throughout the
state."
"We're
doing it for our country," Ryan said. "We're doing it for each
other."
Romney picked
up the backing of former independent presidential candidate H. Ross Perot.
"We can't afford four more years in which debt mushrooms out of control,
our government grows and our military is weakened," Perot wrote in an
editorial announcing his endorsement Tuesday in the Des Moines Register.
Obama's
campaign turned to former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday to make the case
against what it says is Romney's $5 trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a web
video for the campaign, picking apart Romney's tax plan piece by piece, saying
his approach "hasn't worked before and it won't work this time."
The president's
campaign says Romney hid from his tax proposal during the first debate, and
pledged Obama would be more aggressive in calling out his rival's shifts on
that and other issues this time around. Clinton, who has been praised by
Democrats for explaining Obama's economic arguments more clearly than the
president himself, appeared to be laying the groundwork in the video released
hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's
campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging news, also released a new ad Monday in
which ordinary Americans talk about signs of economic progress.
"Stick
with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan played
counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and Wisconsin that while Obama had
inherited a tough economic situation, the president's policies had only made
things worse.
In an
in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their "Commit to Mitt Early Vote
Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg, where Obama was rehearsing for the
debate, to encourage Virginians to cast early ballots for the GOP ticket.
The president
plans to cast an in-person ballot in Chicago on Oct. 25 — making history as the
first incumbent to vote early. First lady Michelle Obama dropped her Illinois
absentee ballot in the mail Monday.
Obama issued a
fundraising appeal via email Monday in which he told supporters, "Listen,
this race is tied" and said the outcome would determine the country's
future for decades.
"That's
what I'll be fighting for up on that stage tomorrow night — but I can't do it
alone," he added.
Romney's
campaign released its latest fundraising report, showing the Republican raised
more than $170 million in September, slightly behind Obama's $181 million haul
for the month. But Republicans have been energized by Romney's strong debate
performance two weeks ago, and his top donors are holding a three-day retreat
at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to talk strategy.
There's been no
letup in the pace of activity in the nine battleground states whose electoral
votes will decide the election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire,
North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Mrs. Obama
campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday before heading to New York to watch the
debate. She told NBC's "Today" show in an interview aired Tuesday
that she's always "primed" as she sits in the audience, in case her
husband looks at her for encouragement.
"I'm
perched, I'm looking at him, I'm smiling, I'm giving a thumbs up if he can see
it — with the lights you just never can tell," she said. "I assume
that he can so I make sure that I'm always giving him that positive love."
Romney is
hoping to keep his momentum going with another solid debate performance. Recent
national polls show likely voters about evenly divided, but multiple surveys
have detected increasing enthusiasm among Romney backers.
"The
debate was huge and we've seen our numbers move all across the country,"
Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio station WPHT.
Now Obama is
looking for the same kind of boost from a comeback performance.
"The
president is his own harshest critic and he knows that Mitt Romney had a better
debate," said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki. She described the
president as "calm and energized and just looking forward to getting to
New York" for the debate.
Body language
expert Patti Wood said the first presidential debate and its vice presidential
counterpart showed the importance of projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter
Romney's forceful debate performance, she said, Obama needs to work on
projecting "alpha" non-verbal signals, conveying that "he really
wants to move forward, he really wants to win, he really wants to continue to
be president."
Biden, she
said, overcompensated for Obama's lackluster performance and "went way
over the top on volume level and aggressive interruption, rabbit-like
jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's
debate audience of uncommitted voters was selected by the Gallup Organization.
Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will choose those who get to speak, after
reviewing proposed questions to avoid repeats.
The final
debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.,
focusing on foreign policy.
Associated
Press writer Nedra Pickler in Washington and Julie Pace in Williamsburg, Va.
contributed to this report.
Follow Nancy
Benac on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nbenac
This copy is for personal,
non-commercial use. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution you
can: 1) Use the "Reprint" button
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Article updated:
10/16/2012 8:21 AM
Obama out to seize momentum from
Romney in debate
By
WASHINGTON — The pressure is on President Barack
Obama to deliver a Goldilocks performance in the second debate: Not too cool,
as he was in his first, listless encounter with Mitt Romney. And not too hot,
as some critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his faceoff with Paul Ryan.
With the race extremely tight and little time
left for a breakout moment, Obama is intent on getting the porridge just right
in a 90-minute, one-on-one faceoff Tuesday at Hofstra University on New York's
Long Island.
The candidates will take questions on domestic
and foreign policy from an audience of about 80 of the coveted uncommitted
voters whom both campaigns are so furiously courting with just three weeks left
until Election Day. The town hall-style format makes it especially tricky for Obama
to strike the right balance in coming on strong against Romney without turning
off the audience — and tens of millions of television viewers — by going too
negative.
The importance attached to this year's debates
is reflected in the significant chunks of time that both candidates have spent
preparing. Obama, faulted for being ill-prepared for the first faceoff with
Romney, largely dropped out of sight for the last three days to attend
"debate camp" at a resort in Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear
victor in Round One, has devoted big blocks of time to rehearsals over the last
several days as well.
The Campaign 2012 juggernaut has raced ahead
nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled new ads, hustled at the grassroots level
to lock down every possible voter, dispatched surrogates to rev up enthusiasm
and kept the running mates busy raising cash and campaigning in the most hotly
contested states.
Obama's campaign turned to former President Bill
Clinton on Tuesday to make the case against what it says is Romney's $5
trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a web video for the campaign, picking
apart Romney's tax plan piece by piece, saying his approach "hasn't worked
before and it won't work this time."
The president's campaign says Romney hid from
his tax proposal during the first debate, and pledged Obama would be more
aggressive in calling out his rival's shifts on that and other issues this time
around. Clinton, who has been praised by Democrats for explaining Obama's
economic arguments more clearly than the president himself, appeared to be
laying the groundwork in the video released hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging
news, also released a new ad Monday in which ordinary Americans talk about
signs of economic progress.
"Stick with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan played counterpoint, making the case in
Ohio and Wisconsin that while Obama had inherited a tough economic situation,
the president's policies had only made things worse.
In an in-your-face move, the Republicans parked
their "Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg,
where Obama was rehearsing for the debate, to encourage Virginians to cast
early ballots for the GOP ticket.
Count Michelle Obama among the million-plus
people around the country who've already voted — in her case, not for Romney.
Mrs. Obama dropped her Illinois absentee ballot in the mail Monday to highlight
the convenience of getting voting out of the way ahead of Election Day.
"Today! I voted for my husband. Yes!"
she enthused before college students in Delaware, Ohio. "It felt so
good."
The president plans to cast an in-person ballot
in Chicago on Oct. 25 — making history as the first incumbent to vote early.
Obama issued a fundraising appeal via email
Monday in which he told supporters, "Listen, this race is tied" and
said the outcome would determine the country's future for decades.
"That's what I'll be fighting for up on
that stage tomorrow night — but I can't do it alone," he added.
Romney's campaign released its latest fundraising
report, showing the Republicans raised more than $170 million in September,
slightly behind Obama's $181 million haul for the month. But Republicans have
been energized by Romney's strong debate performance two weeks ago, and his top
donors are holding a three-day retreat at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to
talk strategy.
There's been no letup in the pace of activity in
the nine battleground states whose electoral votes will decide the election:
Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia
and Wisconsin.
Ryan attends rallies in Virginia on Tuesday, but
Biden postponed a two-day campaign swing through Nevada to attend Tuesday's
funeral for former Sen. Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania. The two served together
in the Senate for nearly two decades.
Michelle Obama campaigns in North Carolina on
Tuesday.
Romney is hoping to keep his momentum going with
another solid debate performance. Recent national polls show likely voters
about evenly divided, but multiple surveys have detected increasing enthusiasm
among Romney backers.
"The debate was huge and we've seen our
numbers move all across the country," Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio
station WPHT.
Now Obama is looking for the same kind of boost
from a comeback performance.
"The president is his own harshest critic
and he knows that Mitt Romney had a better debate," said campaign
spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki. She described the president as "calm and
energized and just looking forward to getting to New York" for the debate.
Body language expert Patti Wood said the first
two debates had showed the importance of projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter Romney's forceful debate performance,
she said, Obama needs to work on projecting "alpha" non-verbal
signals, conveying that "he really wants to move forward, he really wants
to win, he really wants to continue to be president."
Biden, she said, overcompensated for Obama's
lackluster performance and "went way over the top on volume level and
aggressive interruption, rabbit-like jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's debate audience of uncommitted voters
was selected by the Gallup Organization. Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will
choose those who get to speak, after reviewing proposed questions to avoid
repeats.
The final debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22
at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., focusing on foreign policy.
This debate, Romney has momentum and Obama seeks
rebound
By Nancy Benac, Associated Press
Published Tuesday, October 16, 2012
WASHINGTON — The pressure is on President Barack Obama to
deliver a Goldilocks performance in the second debate: Not too cool, as he was
in his first, listless encounter with Mitt Romney. And not too hot, as some
critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his faceoff with Paul Ryan.
With the race extremely tight and little time left for a
breakout moment, Obama is intent on getting the porridge just right in a
90-minute, one-on-one faceoff Tuesday at Hofstra University on New York's Long
Island.
The candidates will take questions on domestic and foreign
policy from an audience of about 80 of the coveted uncommitted voters whom both
campaigns are so furiously courting with just three weeks left until Election
Day. The town hall-style format makes it especially tricky for Obama to strike
the right balance in coming on strong against Romney without turning off the
audience — and tens of millions of television viewers — by going too negative.
The importance attached to this year's debates is reflected
in the significant chunks of time that both candidates have spent preparing.
Obama, faulted for being ill-prepared for the first faceoff with Romney,
largely dropped out of sight for the last three days to attend "debate
camp" at a resort in Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear victor in
Round One, has devoted big blocks of time to rehearsals over the last several
days as well.
The Campaign 2012 juggernaut has raced ahead nonetheless:
Both sides have unfurled new ads, hustled at the grassroots level to lock down
every possible voter, dispatched surrogates to rev up enthusiasm and kept the
running mates busy raising cash and campaigning in the most hotly contested
states.
With both candidates preparing for the Tuesday night debate
and Vice President Joe Biden attending former Senate colleague Arlen Specter's
funeral, Ryan was the only member of either ticket out campaigning. He was
taking a swing through Virginia. In an interview with Virginia's conservative
radio host John Fredericks, Ryan said supporters who are working to get out the
vote for the GOP ticket "have been just really doing the Lord's work all
throughout the state."
"We're doing it for our country," Ryan said.
"We're doing it for each other."
Romney picked up the backing of former independent
presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. "We can't afford four more years in
which debt mushrooms out of control, our government grows and our military is
weakened," Perot wrote in an editorial announcing his endorsement Tuesday
in the Des Moines Register.
Obama's campaign turned to former President Bill Clinton on
Tuesday to make the case against what it says is Romney's $5 trillion tax cut.
Clinton appears in a web video for the campaign, picking apart Romney's tax
plan piece by piece, saying his approach "hasn't worked before and it won't
work this time."
The president's campaign says Romney hid from his tax
proposal during the first debate, and pledged Obama would be more aggressive in
calling out his rival's shifts on that and other issues this time around.
Clinton, who has been praised by Democrats for explaining Obama's economic
arguments more clearly than the president himself, appeared to be laying the
groundwork in the video released hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging news, also
released a new ad Monday in which ordinary Americans talk about signs of
economic progress.
"Stick with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan played counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and
Wisconsin that while Obama had inherited a tough economic situation, the president's
policies had only made things worse.
In an in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their
"Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg, where
Obama was rehearsing for the debate, to encourage Virginians to cast early
ballots for the GOP ticket.
The president plans to cast an in-person ballot in Chicago
on Oct. 25 — making history as the first incumbent to vote early. First lady
Michelle Obama dropped her Illinois absentee ballot in the mail Monday.
Obama issued a fundraising appeal via email Monday in which
he told supporters, "Listen, this race is tied" and said the outcome
would determine the country's future for decades.
"That's what I'll be fighting for up on that stage
tomorrow night — but I can't do it alone," he added.
Romney's campaign released its latest fundraising report,
showing the Republican raised more than $170 million in September, slightly
behind Obama's $181 million haul for the month. But Republicans have been
energized by Romney's strong debate performance two weeks ago, and his top
donors are holding a three-day retreat at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to
talk strategy.
There's been no letup in the pace of activity in the nine
battleground states whose electoral votes will decide the election: Colorado,
Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and
Wisconsin.
Mrs. Obama campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday before
heading to New York to watch the debate. She told NBC's "Today" show
in an interview aired Tuesday that she's always "primed" as she sits
in the audience, in case her husband looks at her for encouragement.
"I'm perched, I'm looking at him, I'm smiling, I'm
giving a thumbs up if he can see it — with the lights you just never can
tell," she said. "I assume that he can so I make sure that I'm always
giving him that positive love."
Romney is hoping to keep his momentum going with another
solid debate performance. Recent national polls show likely voters about evenly
divided, but multiple surveys have detected increasing enthusiasm among Romney
backers.
"The debate was huge and we've seen our numbers move
all across the country," Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio station WPHT.
Now Obama is looking for the same kind of boost from a
comeback performance.
"The president is his own harshest critic and he knows
that Mitt Romney had a better debate," said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer
Psaki. She described the president as "calm and energized and just looking
forward to getting to New York" for the debate.
Body language expert Patti Wood said the first presidential
debate and its vice presidential counterpart showed the importance of
projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter Romney's forceful debate performance, she said,
Obama needs to work on projecting "alpha" non-verbal signals,
conveying that "he really wants to move forward, he really wants to win,
he really wants to continue to be president."
Biden, she said, overcompensated for Obama's lackluster
performance and "went way over the top on volume level and aggressive
interruption, rabbit-like jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's debate audience of uncommitted voters was selected
by the Gallup Organization. Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will choose those
who get to speak, after reviewing proposed questions to avoid repeats.
The final debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22 at Lynn
University in Boca Raton, Fla., focusing on foreign policy.
Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler in Washington and
Julie Pace in Williamsburg, Va. contributed to this report.
Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nbenac
Body
Language Expert Patti Wood Analyzes Second Presidential Debate
Patti Wood is a body language expert
and author of the just released book, 'SNAP: Making the most of first
impressions, body language and Charisma'. What non-verbal signals did the
candidates send in last night's presidential debate?
Looking for clues about who is
winning the big debate? Just watch for a few body language signs on the podium.
With critics looking at every aspect
of President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s behavior, there were two recent
stories on the web sites for CNN and Forbes that broke down the candidate’s
body language.
Both stories focused on the concept
of “tells,” body language signs as they are interpreted by professional poker
players. The players look at body language to see if an opponent is “tipping
their hand” and giving away signs of confidence.
“The mistakes the presidential
candidates have made over the years are numerous. Poor body language has been a
common blunder,” said Zelizer.
Famous examples include Richard
Nixon’s stares in the 1960 debate, George H.W. Bush’s watch gazing in 1992, Al
Gore’s repeated sighing during the 2000 debates, and John McCain’s floor pacing
in 2008.
The debate on Wednesday night in
Denver will be on domestic policy and it will include discussions about health
care and the economy.
Melissa Wade, a debate professor at
Emory University, told CNN that viewers should watch the candidates’ hands for
a clue.
“Romney is more aggressive, he talks
with his hands more and is more animated. That’s not a good thing,” Wade said.
She also said President Obama has
struggled in the town hall format, which is being used for the second debate,
because he will revert to “professorial” behavior and appear to be lecturing
the audience.
Another body language expert, Cara
Hale Alter, tells Forbes that Obama is ahead of
Romney in some key body language areas
except one.
Obama gets a D from Alter for his
lack of “facial fluidity,” which happens “when a leader locks his face into a
set position, repressing the natural expressions that accompany his words.”
Alter says Obama will be
expressionless with a poker face when he is hiding his emotions, while Romney
tends to smile a lot when he’s trying to mask his emotions.
Legal legend Gerry Spence told NPR
last week that the two debaters would do their
best by avoiding stunts and keeping the debate as real as possible.
“Trickery has no place,” Spence told
NPR. “People recognize it immediately.”
Another body language expert, Patti
Wood, told NPR that Romney needs to show more emotion and use his hands in an
expressive way. She said President Obama has sounded tired, and he needs to
relax his voice to gain more confidence from the audience.
And if you need any more information
about tells, here are some common perceptions about body language giveaways:
1. An itchy nose could be a sign
that someone isn’t telling the truth. If someone is scratching their nose,
there could be an issue.
2. Hands in pockets are a sign of
insecurity.
3. Crossed arms don’t necessarily
mean a person is angry or protective: It could just be cold in the studio where
the debates are taking place!
4. Touching the neck could be a sign
that someone is threatened or feels insecure.
5. Finger pointing is a sign of
aggression and it can make the audience mistrust the speaker.
Another telltale sign, experts say,
is frequent blinking by a speaker. It indicates a person is uncomfortable with
the words they are saying.
WASHINGTON — The pressure is on President Barack Obama
(pictured) to deliver a Goldilocks performance in the second debate: Not
too cool, as he was in his first listless encounter with Mitt Romney.
And not too hot, as some critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his
face-off with Paul Ryan.
With
the race extremely tight and little time left for a breakout moment, Obama is
intent on getting the porridge just right in a 90-minute, one-on-one face-off
Tuesday at Hofstra University on New York’s Long Island.
The
candidates will take questions on domestic and foreign policy from an audience
of about 80 of the coveted uncommitted voters whom both campaigns are so
furiously courting with just three weeks left until Election Day. The town
hall-style format makes it especially tricky for Obama to strike the right
balance in coming on strong against Romney without turning off the audience –
and tens of millions of television viewers – by going too negative.
The
importance attached to this year’s debates is reflected in the significant
chunks of time that both candidates have spent preparing. Obama, faulted for
being ill-prepared for the first face-off with Romney, largely dropped out of
sight for the last three days to attend “debate camp” at a resort in
Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear victor in Round One, has devoted big
blocks of time to rehearsals over the last several days as well.
The
Campaign 2012 juggernaut has raced ahead nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled
new ads, hustled at the grassroots level to lock down every possible voter,
dispatched surrogates to rev up enthusiasm, and kept the running mates busy
raising cash and campaigning in the most hotly contested states.
With
both candidates preparing for the Tuesday night debate and Vice President Joe
Biden attending former Senate colleague Arlen Specter‘s funeral,
Ryan was the only member of either ticket out campaigning. He was taking a
swing through Virginia. In an interview with Virginia’s conservative radio host
John Fredericks, Ryan said supporters who are working to get out the
vote for the GOP ticket “have been just really doing the Lord’s work all
throughout the state.”
“We’re
doing it for our country,” Ryan said. “We’re doing it for each other.”
Romney
picked up the backing of former independent presidential candidate H. Ross
Perot. “We can’t afford four more years in which debt mushrooms out of
control, our government grows, and our military is weakened,” Perot wrote in an
editorial announcing his endorsement Tuesday in the Des Moines Register.
Obama’s
campaign turned to former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday to make the
case against what it says is Romney’s $5 trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a
web video for the campaign, picking apart Romney’s tax plan piece by piece,
saying his approach “hasn’t worked before and it won’t work this time.”
Watch
the ad here:
The
president’s campaign says Romney hid from his tax proposal during the first
debate and pledged Obama would be more aggressive in calling out his rival’s
shifts on that and other issues this time around. Clinton, who has been praised
by Democrats for explaining Obama’s economic arguments more clearly than the
president himself, appeared to be laying the groundwork in the video released
hours before the second face-off.
Obama’s
campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging news, also released a new ad Monday in
which ordinary Americans talk about signs of economic progress.
“Stick
with this guy,” one man urges.
Watch
the ad here:
Ryan
played counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and Wisconsin that while Obama had
inherited a tough economic situation, the president’s policies had only made
things worse.
In
an in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their “Commit to Mitt Early Vote
Express Tour Bus” in Williamsburg, where Obama was rehearsing for the debate,
to encourage Virginians to cast early ballots for the GOP ticket.
The
president plans to cast an in-person ballot in Chicago on Oct. 25 – making
history as the first incumbent to vote early. First lady Michelle Obamadropped
her Illinois absentee ballot
in the mail Monday.
Obama
issued a fund-raising appeal via e-mail Monday in which he told supporters,
“Listen, this race is tied” and said the outcome would determine the country’s
future for decades.
“That’s
what I’ll be fighting for up on that stage tomorrow night – but I can’t do it
alone,” he added.
Romney’s
campaign released its latest fund-raising report, showing the Republican raised
more than $170 million in September, slightly behind Obama’s $181 million haul
for the month. But Republicans have been energized by Romney’s strong debate
performance two weeks ago, and his top donors are holding a three-day retreat
at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel to talk strategy.
There’s
been no letup in the pace of activity in the nine battleground states whose
electoral votes will decide the election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Mrs.
Obama campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday before heading to New York to
watch the debate. She told NBC’s “Today” show in an interview aired Tuesday
that she’s always “primed” as she sits in the audience, in case her husband
looks at her for encouragement.
“I’m
perched, I’m looking at him, I’m smiling, I’m giving a thumbs up if he can see
it – with the lights you just never can tell,” she said. “I assume that he can
so I make sure that I’m always giving him that positive love.”
Romney
is hoping to keep his momentum going with another solid debate performance. Recent
national polls show likely voters about evenly divided, but multiple surveys
have detected increasing enthusiasm among Romney backers.
“The
debate was huge and we’ve seen our numbers move all across the country,” Ann
Romney told Philadelphia radio station WPHT.
Now
Obama is looking for the same kind of boost from a comeback performance.
“The
president is his own harshest critic and he knows that Mitt Romney had a better
debate,” said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki. She described the
president as “calm and energized and just looking forward to getting to New
York” for the debate.
Body
language expert Patti Wood said the first presidential debate and its
vice presidential counterpart showed the importance of projecting a strong
image to viewers.
To
counter Romney’s forceful debate performance, she said, Obama needs to work on
projecting “alpha” non-verbal signals, conveying that “he really wants to move
forward, he really wants to win, he really wants to continue to be president.”
Biden,
she said, overcompensated for Obama’s lackluster performance and “went way over
the top on volume level and aggressive interruption, rabbit-like jumping-in
behavior.”
Tuesday’s
debate audience of uncommitted voters was selected by the Gallup Organization.
Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will choose those who get to speak, after
reviewing proposed questions to avoid repeats.
The
final debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton,
Fla., focusing on foreign policy.
President Obama faces pressure in second
debate with Mitt Romney
By The Associated PressThe Times-Picayune
on October 16, 2012 at 8:36 AM, updated October 16, 2012 at 9:48 AM
Brought to you by
WASHINGTON --
The pressure is on President Barack Obama to deliver a Goldilocks
performance in the second debate: Not too cool, as he was in his first,
listless encounter with Mitt Romney. And not too hot, as some
critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his faceoff with Paul Ryan. With the race extremely tight
and little time left for a breakout moment, Obama is intent on getting the
porridge just right in a 90-minute, one-on-one encounter Tuesday at Hofstra
University on New York's Long Island.
A
member of the media moves equipment outside the media filing center in
preparation for Tuesday's presidential debate between President Barack Obama
and Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney,
Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. The
Associated Press
The candidates will take questions on domestic and
foreign policy from an audience of about 80 of the coveted uncommitted voters
whom both campaigns are so furiously courting with just three weeks left until
Election Day. The town hall-style format makes it especially tricky for Obama
to strike the right balance in coming on strong against Romney without turning
off the audience -- and tens of millions of television viewers -- by going too
negative.
The importance attached to this year's debates is
reflected in the significant chunks of time that both candidates have spent
preparing. Obama, faulted for being ill-prepared for the first faceoff with
Romney, largely dropped out of sight for the last three days to attend
"debate camp" at a resort in Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear
victor in Round One, has devoted big blocks of time to rehearsals over the last
several days as well.
The Campaign 2012 juggernaut has raced ahead
nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled new ads, hustled at the grassroots level
to lock down every possible voter, dispatched surrogates to rev up enthusiasm
and kept the running mates busy raising cash and campaigning in the most hotly
contested states.
With both candidates preparing for the Tuesday night
debate and Vice President Joe Biden attending former Senate colleague Arlen
Specter's funeral, Ryan was the only member of either ticket out campaigning.
He was taking a swing through Virginia. In an interview with Virginia's
conservative radio host John Fredericks, Ryan said supporters who are working
to get out the vote for the GOP ticket "have been just really doing the
Lord's work all throughout the state."
"We're doing it for our country," Ryan said.
"We're doing it for each other."
Romney picked up the backing of former independent
presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. "We can't afford four more years in
which debt mushrooms out of control, our government grows and our military is
weakened," Perot wrote in an editorial announcing his endorsement Tuesday
in the Des Moines Register.
Obama's campaign turned to former President Bill
Clinton on Tuesday to make the case against what it says is Romney's $5
trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a web video for the campaign, picking
apart Romney's tax plan piece by piece, saying his approach "hasn't worked
before and it won't work this time."
The president's campaign says Romney hid from his tax
proposal during the first debate, and pledged Obama would be more aggressive in
calling out his rival's shifts on that and other issues this time around.
Clinton, who has been praised by Democrats for explaining Obama's economic
arguments more clearly than the president himself, appeared to be laying the
groundwork in the video released hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging news,
also released a new ad Monday in which ordinary Americans talk about signs of
economic progress.
"Stick with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan played counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and
Wisconsin that while Obama had inherited a tough economic situation, the
president's policies had only made things worse.
In an in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their
"Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg, where
Obama was rehearsing for the debate, to encourage Virginians to cast early
ballots for the GOP ticket.
The president plans to cast an in-person ballot in
Chicago on Oct. 25 -- making history as the first incumbent to vote early.
First lady Michelle Obama dropped her Illinois absentee ballot in the mail
Monday.
Obama issued a fundraising appeal via email Monday in
which he told supporters, "Listen, this race is tied" and said the
outcome would determine the country's future for decades.
"That's what I'll be fighting for up on that
stage tomorrow night -- but I can't do it alone," he added.
Romney's campaign released its latest fundraising
report, showing the Republican raised more than $170 million in September,
slightly behind Obama's $181 million haul for the month. But Republicans have
been energized by Romney's strong debate performance two weeks ago, and his top
donors are holding a three-day retreat at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to
talk strategy.
There's been no letup in the pace of activity in the
nine battleground states whose electoral votes will decide the election:
Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia
and Wisconsin.
Mrs. Obama campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday
before heading to New York to watch the debate. She told NBC's
"Today" show in an interview aired Tuesday that she's always
"primed" as she sits in the audience, in case her husband looks at
her for encouragement.
"I'm perched, I'm looking at him, I'm smiling,
I'm giving a thumbs up if he can see it -- with the lights you just never can
tell," she said. "I assume that he can so I make sure that I'm always
giving him that positive love."
Romney is hoping to keep his momentum going with
another solid debate performance. Recent national polls show likely voters
about evenly divided, but multiple surveys have detected increasing enthusiasm
among Romney backers.
"The debate was huge and we've seen our numbers
move all across the country," Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio station
WPHT.
Now Obama is looking for the same kind of boost from a
comeback performance.
"The president is his own harshest critic and he
knows that Mitt Romney had a better debate," said campaign spokeswoman
Jennifer Psaki. She described the president as "calm and energized and
just looking forward to getting to New York" for the debate.
Body language expert Patti Wood said the first
presidential debate and its vice presidential counterpart showed the importance
of projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter Romney's forceful debate performance, she
said, Obama needs to work on projecting "alpha" non-verbal signals,
conveying that "he really wants to move forward, he really wants to win,
he really wants to continue to be president."
Biden, she said, overcompensated for Obama's
lackluster performance and "went way over the top on volume level and
aggressive interruption, rabbit-like jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's debate audience of uncommitted voters was
selected by the Gallup Organization. Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will choose
those who get to speak, after reviewing proposed questions to avoid repeats.
The final debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22 at
Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., focusing on foreign policy.
Above: U.S.
President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally at the BankUnited Center
at the University of Miami on October 11, 2012 in Miami, Florida.
Tuesday,
October 16, 2012
By Associated
Press
The pressure is
on President Barack Obama to deliver a Goldilocks performance in the second
debate: Not too cool, as he was in his first, listless encounter with Mitt
Romney. And not too hot, as some critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his
faceoff with Paul Ryan.
With the race
extremely tight and little time left for a breakout moment, Obama is intent on
getting the porridge just right in a 90-minute, one-on-one faceoff Tuesday at
Hofstra University on New York's Long Island.
The candidates
will take questions on domestic and foreign policy from an audience of about 80
of the coveted uncommitted voters whom both campaigns are so furiously courting
with just three weeks left until Election Day. The town hall-style format makes
it especially tricky for Obama to strike the right balance in coming on strong
against Romney without turning off the audience — and tens of millions of
television viewers — by going too negative.
The importance
attached to this year's debates is reflected in the significant chunks of time
that both candidates have spent preparing. Obama, faulted for being
ill-prepared for the first faceoff with Romney, largely dropped out of sight
for the last three days to attend "debate camp" at a resort in
Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear victor in Round One, has devoted big blocks
of time to rehearsals over the last several days as well.
The Campaign
2012 juggernaut has raced ahead nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled new ads,
hustled at the grassroots level to lock down every possible voter, dispatched
surrogates to rev up enthusiasm and kept the running mates busy raising cash
and campaigning in the most hotly contested states.
With both
candidates preparing for the Tuesday night debate and Vice President Joe Biden
attending former Senate colleague Arlen Specter's funeral, Ryan was the only
member of either ticket out campaigning. He was taking a swing through
Virginia. In an interview with Virginia's conservative radio host John Fredericks,
Ryan said supporters who are working to get out the vote for the GOP ticket
"have been just really doing the Lord's work all throughout the
state."
"We're
doing it for our country," Ryan said. "We're doing it for each
other."
Romney picked
up the backing of former independent presidential candidate H. Ross Perot.
"We can't afford four more years in which debt mushrooms out of control,
our government grows and our military is weakened," Perot wrote in an
editorial announcing his endorsement Tuesday in the Des Moines Register.
Obama's
campaign turned to former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday to make the case
against what it says is Romney's $5 trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a web
video for the campaign, picking apart Romney's tax plan piece by piece, saying
his approach "hasn't worked before and it won't work this time."
The president's
campaign says Romney hid from his tax proposal during the first debate, and
pledged Obama would be more aggressive in calling out his rival's shifts on
that and other issues this time around. Clinton, who has been praised by
Democrats for explaining Obama's economic arguments more clearly than the
president himself, appeared to be laying the groundwork in the video released
hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's campaign,
buoyed by recent encouraging news, also released a new ad Monday in which
ordinary Americans talk about signs of economic progress.
"Stick
with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan played
counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and Wisconsin that while Obama had
inherited a tough economic situation, the president's policies had only made
things worse.
In an
in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their "Commit to Mitt Early Vote
Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg, where Obama was rehearsing for the debate,
to encourage Virginians to cast early ballots for the GOP ticket.
The president
plans to cast an in-person ballot in Chicago on Oct. 25 — making history as the
first incumbent to vote early. First lady Michelle Obama dropped her Illinois
absentee ballot in the mail Monday.
Obama issued a
fundraising appeal via email Monday in which he told supporters, "Listen,
this race is tied" and said the outcome would determine the country's
future for decades.
"That's
what I'll be fighting for up on that stage tomorrow night — but I can't do it
alone," he added.
Romney's
campaign released its latest fundraising report, showing the Republican raised
more than $170 million in September, slightly behind Obama's $181 million haul
for the month. But Republicans have been energized by Romney's strong debate
performance two weeks ago, and his top donors are holding a three-day retreat
at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to talk strategy.
There's been no
letup in the pace of activity in the nine battleground states whose electoral
votes will decide the election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire,
North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Mrs. Obama
campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday before heading to New York to watch the
debate. She told NBC's "Today" show in an interview aired Tuesday
that she's always "primed" as she sits in the audience, in case her
husband looks at her for encouragement.
"I'm
perched, I'm looking at him, I'm smiling, I'm giving a thumbs up if he can see
it — with the lights you just never can tell," she said. "I assume
that he can so I make sure that I'm always giving him that positive love."
Romney is
hoping to keep his momentum going with another solid debate performance. Recent
national polls show likely voters about evenly divided, but multiple surveys
have detected increasing enthusiasm among Romney backers.
"The
debate was huge and we've seen our numbers move all across the country,"
Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio station WPHT.
Now Obama is
looking for the same kind of boost from a comeback performance.
"The
president is his own harshest critic and he knows that Mitt Romney had a better
debate," said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki. She described the
president as "calm and energized and just looking forward to getting to
New York" for the debate.
Body language
expert Patti Wood said the first presidential debate and its vice presidential
counterpart showed the importance of projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter
Romney's forceful debate performance, she said, Obama needs to work on
projecting "alpha" non-verbal signals, conveying that "he really
wants to move forward, he really wants to win, he really wants to continue to
be president."
Biden, she
said, overcompensated for Obama's lackluster performance and "went way
over the top on volume level and aggressive interruption, rabbit-like
jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's
debate audience of uncommitted voters was selected by the Gallup Organization.
Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will choose those who get to speak, after
reviewing proposed questions to avoid repeats.
The final
debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.,
focusing on foreign policy.
Obama out to seize momentum from Romney in 2nd
debate
In this Sept. 30 file photo,
President Barack Obama waves to supporters as he arrives at McCarran
International Airport in Las Vegas. The pressure is on Obama to deliver a
Goldilocks performance in the second presidential debate: Not too cool, as he
was in his first, listless encounter with Mitt Romney. And not too hot, as some
critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his faceoff with Paul Ryan.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pressure is
on President Barack Obama to deliver a Goldilocks performance in the second
debate: Not too cool, as he was in his first, listless encounter with Mitt
Romney. And not too hot, as some critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his
faceoff with Paul Ryan.
With the race extremely tight and
little time left for a breakout moment, Obama is intent on getting the porridge
just right in a 90-minute, one-on-one faceoff Tuesday at Hofstra University on
New York’s Long Island.
The candidates will take
questions on domestic and foreign policy from an audience of about 80 of the
coveted uncommitted voters whom both campaigns are so furiously courting with
just three weeks left until Election Day. The town hall-style format makes it
especially tricky for Obama to strike the right balance in coming on strong
against Romney without turning off the audience — and tens of millions of
television viewers — by going too negative.
The importance attached to this
year’s debates is reflected in the significant chunks of time that both
candidates have spent preparing. Obama, faulted for being ill-prepared for the
first faceoff with Romney, largely dropped out of sight for the last three days
to attend “debate camp” at a resort in Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear
victor in Round One, has devoted big blocks of time to rehearsals over the last
several days as well.
The Campaign 2012 juggernaut has
raced ahead nonetheless: Both sides have unfurled new ads, hustled at the
grassroots level to lock down every possible voter, dispatched surrogates to
rev up enthusiasm and kept the running mates busy raising cash and campaigning
in the most hotly contested states.
With both candidates preparing
for the Tuesday night debate and Vice President Joe Biden attending former
Senate colleague Arlen Specter’s funeral, Ryan was the only member of either
ticket out campaigning. He was taking a swing through Virginia. In an interview
with Virginia’s conservative radio host John Fredericks, Ryan said supporters
who are working to get out the vote for the GOP ticket “have been just really
doing the Lord’s work all throughout the state.”
“We’re doing it for our country,”
Ryan said. “We’re doing it for each other.”
Romney picked up the backing of
former independent presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. “We can’t afford four
more years in which debt mushrooms out of control, our government grows and our
military is weakened,” Perot wrote in an editorial announcing his endorsement
Tuesday in the Des Moines Register.
Obama’s campaign turned to former
President Bill Clinton on Tuesday to make the case against what it says is
Romney’s $5 trillion tax cut. Clinton appears in a web video for the campaign,
picking apart Romney’s tax plan piece by piece, saying his approach “hasn’t
worked before and it won’t work this time.”
The president’s campaign says
Romney hid from his tax proposal during the first debate, and pledged Obama
would be more aggressive in calling out his rival’s shifts on that and other
issues this time around. Clinton, who has been praised by Democrats for
explaining Obama’s economic arguments more clearly than the president himself,
appeared to be laying the groundwork in the video released hours before the
second faceoff.
Obama’s campaign, buoyed by
recent encouraging news, also released a new ad Monday in which ordinary
Americans talk about signs of economic progress.
“Stick with this guy,” one man
urges.
Ryan played counterpoint, making
the case in Ohio and Wisconsin that while Obama had inherited a tough economic
situation, the president’s policies had only made things worse.
In an in-your-face move, the
Republicans parked their “Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express Tour Bus” in
Williamsburg, where Obama was rehearsing for the debate, to encourage
Virginians to cast early ballots for the GOP ticket.
The president plans to cast an
in-person ballot in Chicago on Oct. 25 — making history as the first incumbent
to vote early. First lady Michelle Obama dropped her Illinois absentee ballot
in the mail Monday.
Obama issued a fundraising appeal
via email Monday in which he told supporters, “Listen, this race is tied” and
said the outcome would determine the country’s future for decades.
“That’s what I’ll be fighting for
up on that stage tomorrow night — but I can’t do it alone,” he added.
Romney’s campaign released its
latest fundraising report, showing the Republican raised more than $170 million
in September, slightly behind Obama’s $181 million haul for the month. But
Republicans have been energized by Romney’s strong debate performance two weeks
ago, and his top donors are holding a three-day retreat at New York’s Waldorf
Astoria hotel to talk strategy.
There’s been no letup in the pace
of activity in the nine battleground states whose electoral votes will decide
the election: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Mrs. Obama campaigns in North
Carolina on Tuesday before heading to New York to watch the debate. She told
NBC’s “Today” show in an interview aired Tuesday that she’s always “primed” as
she sits in the audience, in case her husband looks at her for encouragement.
“I’m perched, I’m looking at him,
I’m smiling, I’m giving a thumbs up if he can see it — with the lights you just
never can tell,” she said. “I assume that he can so I make sure that I’m always
giving him that positive love.”
Romney is hoping to keep his
momentum going with another solid debate performance. Recent national polls
show likely voters about evenly divided, but multiple surveys have detected
increasing enthusiasm among Romney backers.
“The debate was huge and we’ve
seen our numbers move all across the country,” Ann Romney told Philadelphia
radio station WPHT.
Now Obama is looking for the same
kind of boost from a comeback performance.
“The president is his own
harshest critic and he knows that Mitt Romney had a better debate,” said
campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki. She described the president as “calm and
energized and just looking forward to getting to New York” for the debate.
Body language expert Patti Wood
said the first presidential debate and its vice presidential counterpart showed
the importance of projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter Romney’s forceful
debate performance, she said, Obama needs to work on projecting “alpha”
non-verbal signals, conveying that “he really wants to move forward, he really
wants to win, he really wants to continue to be president.”
Biden, she said, overcompensated
for Obama’s lackluster performance and “went way over the top on volume level
and aggressive interruption, rabbit-like jumping-in behavior.”
Tuesday’s debate audience of
uncommitted voters was selected by the Gallup Organization. Moderator Candy
Crowley of CNN will choose those who get to speak, after reviewing proposed
questions to avoid repeats.
The final debate of the campaign
will be Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., focusing on foreign
policy.
———
Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler in Washington and Julie
Pace in Williamsburg, Va. contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — The pressure is on President Barack Obama to
deliver a Goldilocks performance in the second debate: Not too cool, as he was
in his first, listless encounter with Mitt Romney. And not too hot, as some
critics styled Vice President Joe Biden in his faceoff with Paul Ryan.
With the race extremely tight and little time left for a
breakout moment, Obama is intent on getting the porridge just right in a 90-minute,
one-on-one faceoff Tuesday at Hofstra University on New York's Long Island.
The candidates will take questions on domestic and foreign
policy from an audience of about 80 of the coveted uncommitted voters whom both
campaigns are so furiously courting with just three weeks left until Election
Day. The town hall-style format makes it especially tricky for Obama to strike
the right balance in coming on strong against Romney without turning off the
audience - and tens of millions of television viewers - by going too negative.
The importance attached to this year's debates is
reflected in the significant chunks of time that both candidates have spent
preparing. Obama, faulted for being ill-prepared for the first faceoff with
Romney, largely dropped out of sight for the last three days to attend
"debate camp" at a resort in Williamsburg, Va. And Romney, the clear
victor in Round One, has devoted big blocks of time to rehearsals over the last
several days as well.
The Campaign 2012 juggernaut has raced ahead nonetheless:
Both sides have unfurled new ads, hustled at the grassroots level to lock down
every possible voter, dispatched surrogates to rev up enthusiasm and kept the
running mates busy raising cash and campaigning in the most hotly contested states.
With both candidates preparing for the Tuesday night
debate and Vice President Joe Biden attending former Senate colleague Arlen
Specter's funeral, Ryan was the only member of either ticket out campaigning.
He was taking a swing through Virginia. In an interview with Virginia's
conservative radio host John Fredericks, Ryan said supporters who are working
to get out the vote for the GOP ticket "have been just really doing the
Lord's work all throughout the state."
"We're doing it for our country," Ryan said.
"We're doing it for each other."
Romney picked up the backing of former independent
presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. "We can't afford four more years in
which debt mushrooms out of control, our government grows and our military is
weakened," Perot wrote in an editorial announcing his endorsement Tuesday
in the Des Moines Register.
Obama's campaign turned to former President Bill Clinton
on Tuesday to make the case against what it says is Romney's $5 trillion tax
cut. Clinton appears in a web video for the campaign, picking apart Romney's
tax plan piece by piece, saying his approach "hasn't worked before and it
won't work this time."
The president's campaign says Romney hid from his tax
proposal during the first debate, and pledged Obama would be more aggressive in
calling out his rival's shifts on that and other issues this time around.
Clinton, who has been praised by Democrats for explaining Obama's economic
arguments more clearly than the president himself, appeared to be laying the
groundwork in the video released hours before the second faceoff.
Obama's campaign, buoyed by recent encouraging news, also
released a new ad Monday in which ordinary Americans talk about signs of
economic progress.
"Stick with this guy," one man urges.
Ryan played counterpoint, making the case in Ohio and
Wisconsin that while Obama had inherited a tough economic situation, the
president's policies had only made things worse.
In an in-your-face move, the Republicans parked their
"Commit to Mitt Early Vote Express Tour Bus" in Williamsburg, where
Obama was rehearsing for the debate, to encourage Virginians to cast early
ballots for the GOP ticket.
The president plans to cast an in-person ballot in Chicago
on Oct. 25 - making history as the first incumbent to vote early. First lady
Michelle Obama dropped her Illinois absentee ballot in the mail Monday.
Obama issued a fundraising appeal via email Monday in
which he told supporters, "Listen, this race is tied" and said the
outcome would determine the country's future for decades.
That's what I'll be fighting for up on that stage
tomorrow night - but I can't do it alone," he added.
Romney's campaign released its latest fundraising report,
showing the Republican raised more than $170 million in September, slightly
behind Obama's $181 million haul for the month. But Republicans have been
energized by Romney's strong debate performance two weeks ago, and his top
donors are holding a three-day retreat at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to
talk strategy.
There's been no letup in the pace of activity in the nine
battleground states whose electoral votes will decide the election: Colorado,
Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and
Wisconsin.
Mrs. Obama campaigns in North Carolina on Tuesday before
heading to New York to watch the debate. She told NBC's "Today" show
in an interview aired Tuesday that she's always "primed" as she sits
in the audience, in case her husband looks at her for encouragement.
"I'm perched, I'm looking at him, I'm smiling, I'm
giving a thumbs up if he can see it - with the lights you just never can
tell," she said. "I assume that he can so I make sure that I'm always
giving him that positive love."
Romney is hoping to keep his momentum going with another
solid debate performance. Recent national polls show likely voters about evenly
divided, but multiple surveys have detected increasing enthusiasm among Romney
backers.
The debate was huge and we've seen our numbers move
all across the country," Ann Romney told Philadelphia radio station WPHT.
Now Obama is looking for the same kind of boost from a
comeback performance.
"The president is his own harshest critic and he
knows that Mitt Romney had a better debate," said campaign spokeswoman
Jennifer Psaki. She described the president as "calm and energized and
just looking forward to getting to New York" for the debate.
Body language expert Patti Wood said the first
presidential debate and its vice presidential counterpart showed the importance
of projecting a strong image to viewers.
To counter Romney's forceful debate performance, she said,
Obama needs to work on projecting "alpha" non-verbal signals,
conveying that "he really wants to move forward, he really wants to win,
he really wants to continue to be president."
Biden, she said, overcompensated for Obama's lackluster
performance and "went way over the top on volume level and aggressive
interruption, rabbit-like jumping-in behavior."
Tuesday's debate audience of uncommitted voters was
selected by the Gallup Organization. Moderator Candy Crowley of CNN will choose
those who get to speak, after reviewing proposed questions to avoid repeats.
The final debate of the campaign will be Oct. 22 at Lynn
University in Boca Raton, Fla., focusing on foreign policy.
Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/nbenac. Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler in
Washington and Julie Pace in Williamsburg, Va. contributed to this report.
Read more here:
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/10/15/2729594/obama-embraces-economic-record.html#storylink=cpy
WASHINGTON — Body language experts
agreed Thursday that Mitt Romney bested Barack Obama in the US presidential
debate when it came to wooing voters with gestures as well as words.
Where the Democratic incumbent
perhaps came across as weary and off-balance, his Republican challenger had
clearly upped his game for the first televised clash of the alpha dogs in the
run-up to the November 6 vote.
"He was so dramatically
different... He was authentically passionate and thrilled at the battle,"
said Patti Wood, author of "Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions,
Body Language and Charisma."
Typically, she told AFP in a
telephone interview, Romney in public has tended to say something, and then
give a delayed supporting gesture -- something humans are hard-wired to
interpret as a sign of lack of authenticity.
"But last night was just a
total change," with far more gestures in much better sync with his words,
said Wood, who wondered if the candidate had downed "a quadruple espresso
at Starbucks" prior to the debate.
Janine Driver, author of the
just-published "You Can't Lie to Me" and a consultant to law
enforcement agencies on body language, agreed that Romney made "really
good use" of hand gestures.
"When people use hand gestures,
it's more memorable," Driver added.
Traci Brown, who lectures across the
United States on the power of non-verbal persuasion, said Romney's "body
language was the result of his conviction and his preparation."
"He was very eloquent. He
didn't say one 'umm.' He didn't stutter any, whereas Obama did.
"Romney showed personality. He
showed the guy that Republicans had hoped he would be."
It wasn't a perfect 10 for Romney,
however. Wood said he blinked often, indicating his stress level was high, and
Driver noticed his "permasmile throughout the whole entire debate."
"That comes across as
phony," she said.
But that was still better than
Obama, who Wood said may have given the wrong impression by bowing his head
whenever Romney spoke, even if it might only have been to jot some notes on his
podium.
"Unfortunately, when he says
something and then he brings his head down, that can look like he looks
defeated or not powerful," she said. "Repeating this behavior can be
read incorrectly, as it was in this case."
Brown, speaking from Colorado, noted
that Obama pursed his lips a lot.
"That's a sign of holding back
and going into anger," she said.
The Republican National Committee
sought Thursday to capitalize on Obama's downward gaze in a carefully edited,
one minute and 40 second Internet video excerpt of the debate that it titled
"Smirk."
The Obama campaign, on the other
hand, had by mid-day Thursday yet to post any video from the debate on the
homepage of its official website.
Driver remarked how, in terms of
posture, Romney "had a good head on his shoulders -- by that I mean,
literally, his head was in between his shoulders: straight."
On the other hand, Obama, who
usually holds his head the same way, as well as holding his chin up -- a sign
of confidence, if not arrogance -- did not do so as much on Wednesday.
"He had his head tilted almost the
entire time," Driver said. "It was a softer approach right out of the
gate (and) it may have hurt."
Brown was meanwhile intrigued when
Romney, who made a fortune in private equity before going into politics, said
he was running for president because "people are really hurting" --
while at the same time shaking his head.
"That is the furthest reason in
the world why he is in this race, and his body language shows it," she
said.
In the court of
public opinion, debates are won and lost on things having little to do with how
they will govern. One thing we judge the nominees on — no matter how
subconsciously — is how they carry themselves and gestures they make on stage.
Body language
has the ability to convey ease, stress, excitement and anger — perhaps better
than words.
To that end, we
enlisted two body language experts — Patti Wood and Vincent Harris — who disagreed
on whose gestures and stature won the evening. Wood, the author of "Easy
Speaking Dynamic Delivery," took to Team Romney while Harris, author of
"The Productivity Epiphany," believed Obama did what he does best,
behave presidentially.
"Did you
see the big smile on Romney's face as the debates ended?" Wood asked,
rhetorically. "He felt he won. He was last to leave the podium and the
stage. He knows how to look powerful."
"Obama
didn't look at the camera directly in his closing statement," Wood added. "His
head came down. He looked defeated."
Romney appeared
energized throughout the debate, to the extent that Wood went so far as to
wonder whether the Mormon GOP candidate partook of some caffeine prior to
taking the stage.
"Romney
was highly energetic. He gave more gestures and more animation than I have ever
seen," Wood said. "He seemed charged, highly caffeinated with his
rapid and rushed speaking."
The president's
gestures were more subdued.
"Obama's
gestures were small, restrained and close to his heart," Wood said.
"I would like his gestures to be smoother and larger and sweep upward so
he would appear more confident."
But Harris was
more bullish on Obama's body language, explaining that the slight gestures
showed the control evocative of a true leader.
"The
nonverbal battle was won by President Obama," Harris said. "Obama was
steady and calm, with a rather expressionless face, and then, boom, he would
flash a well-timed smile that served to undercut and diminish the power of a
particular statement that was being made by Romney."
Harris added
that Romney held a fairly static expression of a tight-lipped smile, with
raised eyebrows and wrinkled forehead that screamed, "I'm not
comfortable."
As the debate
went on, Romney's nonverbal cues became stronger, Harris said.
"His
facial expressions communicated a more assertive and assured message,"
Harris said. "Interestingly, even as these improvements occurred while he
spoke, when it was his time to listen, again he went right back into his
default mode, which appeared very unsure and weak."
Does the media make too much of minor moments?
Though she
thought he was the night's big winner, Wood conceded that Romney showed clear
signs of stress throughout the debate.
"Romney
rubbed his eye when Obama called him on that fact that his health care
statement was just restating the law as it is now," Wood said.
"Romney also blinked rapidly, showing his stress level was high."
It was Romney's
tendency to interrupt the president that likely caused the most visceral response
from those watching the debate at home.
"Romney
was interrupting and continuing to talk past his time," Wood said.
"His 'overtalking' will appeal to the emotional viewer and seem rude and
overbearing to the logical viewer."
Last summer, when the boutique Affinia hotel chain decided to up the ante on
its care and treatment of guests as part of its Tender Loving Comfort (TLC)
program, management reached out to an expert to train staff on the signs,
obvious and subtle, that people communicate via the way they walk, talk and
just twiddle their thumbs.
Patti Wood, CSP, is the expert, and since 1982 she has conducted workshops and
delivered keynote speeches on body language (visit pattiwood.net for details).
Her newest book is Snap -- Making the Most of First Impressions, Body
Language and Charisma (New World Library). As Wood showed the staffs at
Affinia's properties (in New York City, Miami and Washington, D.C.), people
fall into four categories in the way they express themselves physically.
Drivers. "These are people who walk very quickly, head down, always
in a rush," says Wood. "They want to be served right away and with no
nonsense. I advise staff to match their pace, speak up and get the job done."
Influencers. "They are very upbeat, smiling, like to get close
physically, are engaging and want to be engaged. Hotel staff should smile back,
stand close, keep eye contact and be ready to laugh at an amusing story."
Critiquers. "These are very analytical people, puzzle solvers. They
tend to be quiet, want to do the right thing and expect everyone else to, as
well. They know all about coupons and discounts, so you should, too. You likely
need to ask specific questions to meet their needs."
Supporters. "They want to feel loved, are shy and take things
slower than others. Be extra polite and empathetic, and present a warm aura
that says 'welcome home.'"
Wood also notes different physical approaches to take with the sexes. "I
point out to front-desk personnel that to assist a male guest, it helps to come
out from behind the counter and stand beside him to figure out a solution as a
teammate; with women, it's more effective to stay put, go face-to-face and, if
need be, say, ‚'Let me look at my screen here for the answer,' which in effect
asks for permission to disengage for a moment."
With the first 2012
presidential debate slated for Wednesday night, we thought it might be helpful
to pass along a few suggestions — some more substantive than others — to the
participants.
We were inspired by a memo recently issued by Third Way, a Democratic
advisory group — as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The
memo offers a slew of helpful hints, including:
The author of the memo is
Ron Klain, who served as chief of staff to Vice Presidents Al Gore and Joe
Biden. Klain has also prepped several Democrats, including then-Gov. Bill
Clinton in 1992 and Sen. John Kerry in 2004, for presidential debates.
Because Klain is helping
Obama prepare this time around, the memo takes on additional import. But does
it go far enough?
As a public service, we
offer even more friendly, unsolicited advice to the candidates, from
specialists in various fields.
For The Win
The secret to winning a
debate? "When one defends," trial lawyer Gerry Spence tells NPR,
"one is losing."
Any specific advice for
Romney and Obama? "Be real," Spence says. "Be vulnerable."
Are there tricks or
gimmicks a debater might use to gain the upper hand on an opponent?
"Trickery has no
place" in a presidential debate, Spence says. "People recognize it
immediately."
Alex Dukalskis, executive
director of the International Debate Education Association in New York, adds:
"The ethics of persuading viewers by misleading them through tricks are
suspect. Debaters, presidential and otherwise, always want to win, but they
have a responsibility to do so ethically."
Dressing For Success
When it comes to matters
sartorial, Obama and Romney "should basically keep doing what they're
doing," says fashion critic Robin Givhan of The Daily Beast and Newsweek.
"Wearing proper business suits and not wearing their casual-earnest
talk-regular guy ensembles of rolled-up shirt-sleeves and khakis or
jeans."
President Obama often
dons a gray striped tie on formal or sober occasions, Givhan points out, which
"is a nice way of evoking power without resorting to the usual red or
blue. Perhaps it's a little too East Coast for a debate with such a broad
audience, but I think it would be refreshing and elegant."
Mitt Romney, she says,
"wears a suit well, but he needs to be cautious so that he doesn't come
across looking slick and mechanical. He's got the perfect hair with just the
right hint of gray at the sideburns. ... A little imperfection in appearance
would be helpful to him. Perhaps let his hair be ever so slightly
tousled?"
The Voice
During the debates,
Romney needs to "show genuine warm emotion in his voice and body
language," says voice and body language guru Patti Wood. "A
credible candidate's movement, gestures and expressions are in sync with what
he is saying."
To underscore a sense of
sincerity, Wood says, Romney should use more movement to illustrate what he is
saying.
Obama, on the other hand,
"is sounding and looking tired and strained. He needs to relax his voice
so he can use it to make us feel confident in him."
The president's voice
"used to be very rhythmical, powerful and charismatic, and he spoke with
ease — very loudly without any vocal strain," Wood says. "Deep, low
voices are perceived, according to research, as more authoritative, believable
and trustworthy."
Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.
