10 Things to Know About the First Presidential Debate
BET.com breaks down the candidates first one-on-one match.
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Going Toe-to-Toe - President Obama and Mitt Romney will go head to head in the first presidential debate on Oct. 3, televised live from the University of Denver in Colorado. Keep reading for a breakdown of what to watch for. – Britt Middleton (Photos from left: John Gurzinski/Getty Images, Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)
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Hot Topic - The first debate will focus on areas of domestic policy, with the economy expected to take center stage. (Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
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What's at Stake - In terms of what each man needs to achieve, the debate appears to be a contest of "getting it right" for Obama, while Romney has a more uphill battle. "Romney is under pressure to deliver a performance that shifts the momentum in his direction. Obama, on the other hand, merely needs to avoid a catastrophic performance that could cause independent voters to reassess their support," Reuters writes. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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The Format - The 90-minute televised debate will be broken down into six 15-minute segments. After the moderator opens the segment with a question, the candidates each have two minutes to respond. There are three presidential debates in all and one vice presidential debate (visit the Commission on Presidential Debates for the complete schedule). (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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The Moderator - Jim Lehrer, executive editor of PBS NewsHour, will moderate this debate. It will mark his 12th nationally televised presidential debate, the most recent in 2008 between then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo: David McNew/Getty Images)
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Univ. of Denver at a Glance - While this is the first presidential debate held at the University of Denver, the school has hosted engagements for some of the world's most famous dignitaries and peacemakers, including former President Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Dalai Lama. (Photo: University of Denver)
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When to Tune In - The debate airs from 9:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m. EST on most major television networks (BET.com will live stream all presidential and vice presidential debates). The first 30 minutes of the debate are said to be the most crucial because at that point the candidates would have established their themes and made their most critical arguments against their opponent's competency. (Photos from left: Mark Wilson/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Dead Giveaways - It's not just what candidates say that can influence the outcome of the debate, but also what they do. Political analysts said voters were turned off in 2000 by Vice President Al Gore's sighs of disapproval during his debate with George W. Bush, and the same was said about Bush when he scowled when opponent John Kerry spoke in their 2004 debate. (Photo: Darren McCollester/Newsmakers)
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Body Language Tactics - Additionally, "shoulder shrugs indicate uncertainty, a wrinkled upper lip signals disgust and eye blinking, either too much or too little, can convey stress," body-language expert Janine Driver told Reuters. If one candidate turns to face the other, the candidate is asserting his confidence, according to Driver. (Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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Points of Weakness - Jen Psaki, President Obama's traveling press secretary, said recently that the president "has a tendency to give longer substantive answers" and that doesn't necessarily work in an abridged debate format. Romney survived the gamut of primary debates with his GOP contenders, but analysts have called into question how well he'll perform in his first presidential debate (Obama has eight one-on-one presidential debates under his belt). (Photos from left: Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images, Edward Linsmier/Getty Images)