Debates and Debacles.

The Debates are upon us , the most historic debate of the 21st Century.

Debates and Debacles .The Republican's campaign has been counting on the debates with President Barack Obama to set # Romney on a path to winning the presidency. Romney spent more than eight days in September holding mock debates, poring over policy briefing books and sparring with Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who stood in for Obama. President Obama has  to make his case that he is worthy of a second term, while the polls tend to betray the truth . This is a close race to me . For Obama he has a big foreign-policy accomplishment, the killing of Osama bin Laden .None of that is remotely plausible. The jobless rate has been north of 8 percent for 43 months. Median family income fell more during the Obama recovery than during the recession. Economic growth is slowing: The economy grew at only a 1.3 percent rate in the second quarter, raising fears the nation may be drifting back toward recession. Kathryn Olson, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Communications professor, had a slightly different view of the situation as it pertains to the image of the president and his opponent."Nobody doubts ** Obama's likability and democratic nature; what we wonder about is his leadership ability. With Romney, there's this image of the successful businessman, with the ability to make tough choices; the impetus is then on his ability to be democratic. With a little 'd,'" she said. The tree debates that follow :

• The first debate will focus on domestic policy. The specific topics will be announced several weeks beforehand, and the debate will be divided into six 15-minute segments focusing on each. The moderator will ask a question, and each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond.
• The second presidential debate will be a town-hall style meeting. Voters will be allowed to ask questions directly of each candidate on both foreign and domestic issues. Each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond. The voters will be chosen by the Gallup polling organization, and are expected to be undecided on their choice of president.
• The format for the third presidential debate will be identical to that of the first presidential debate. It will focus on foreign policy.

The  truly high-stakes one will be the last, on Oct. 22.

NOTES AND COMMENTS: 

 ** Obama has opened a modest advantage over Romney since the political conventions ended last month, especially in the battleground states. But as the presidential rivals prepare to face off in the first of three debates, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows Obama with vulnerabilities and Romney with assets — even on the question of whether Americans have become too dependent on the government.
The debates are a chance for Obama to win back the vote of Elizabeth Gower, 49, of Tacoma, Wash. "Four years ago, my husband and I voted for Obama, and I think it was awesome that he got elected," she said in a follow-up interview with USA TODAY. "But as far as I'm concerned, he's blown it." She worries that the Affordable Care Act the president signed into law may subject her family to fines because they don't have health insurance and can't afford to buy it. She'd like to hear him on that.
# Romney should show that he would focus on the concerns of people like them. "He needs to help the middle class instead of keep helping the rich," one said in the survey. Several said they'd like to hear not only that he would repeal the health care law but also what he would do in its stead. "Just say what he would do as president," one advised.

"It's OK that he was a businessman and very wealthy, but I think he should be honest and open about that," Paul Rayman, 24, the operations manager at a distribution center in Indianapolis, said in a follow-up interview. He was put off by Romney's comment at a campaign event that students who can't afford college should borrow money from their parents. "That was really laughable for a lot of people," Rayman says, and as he sees it, a sign Romney doesn't understand the tough economic times many face.