alan schroeder, i will begin with you. what happens? what do you think the candidates are trying to do and how are they trying to get into debate-mode? >> they will still be doing mock debates. i would be very surprised if any candid has a public event. they will have last minute back and forth to get everybody in the right place. the candidates like to go off and be by themselves in the hour before the debate. just to have quiet time to get their heads in the right space for what is bound to be a very excruciating experience. imagine actually having to do that in front of 50 million people. basically, those hours before, they want that time to themselves. there is one other quick thing they do. they do a tech check at the set. they will go up on the set and make sure everything is fine and that they are comfortable with the surroundings. that will happen at about 3:00 in the afternoon. >> how does anyone effectively prepare for a debate? >> well, i think this is probably true of just about any kind of debate. hard work is probably the

alan schroeder, i will begin with you. what happens? what do you think the candidates are trying to do and how are they trying to get into debate- mode? >> they will still be doing mock debates. i would be very surprised if any candid has a public event. they will have last minute back and forth to get everybody in the right place. the candidates like to go off and be by themselves in the hour before the debate. just to have quiet time to get their heads in the right space for what is bound to be a very excruciating experience. imagine actually having to do that in front of 50 million people. basically, those hours before, they want that time to themselves. there is one other quick thing they do. they do a tech check at the set. they will go up on the set and make sure everything is fine and that they are comfortable with the surroundings. that will happen at about 3:00 in the afternoon. >> how does anyone effectively prepare for a debate? >> well, i think this is probably true of just about any kind of debate. hard work is probably the

alan schroeder is a journalism professional at north eastern university.mong the books he authored, "presidential debates, 50 years of high-risk tv." great to have you here. as we look forward to what we'll see tomorrow night, both president obama and mitt romney maybe had experience in these debates. the president survived 26 primary debates and three general election debates in '08. romney's experience goes back to the 1994 senate run against ted kennedy. he endured 19 of the republican primary debates. if we start with the president, he's been able to elevate himself in the debates with senator john mccain and appear presidential. i want to remind how he did so. moments like this. >> in a short career, he does not understand our national security challenges. we don't have time for on-the job training, my friend. >> senator mccain in the last debate and today again suggested i don't understand. it's true. there are some things i don't understand. i don't understand how we ended up invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 while osama bin laden

for more on last night's veep debate, we're going to turn to boston and alan schroeder, our residentxpert and the author of "presidential debates: 50 years of high-risk tv." welcome back inside "the war room." >> thank you, jennifer. >> jennifer: in your opinion what was the defining moment? >> for me the take away was that interesting generational conflict there. i felt like i was watching a dad and son having a fight at the dinner table. and the age thing can cut either way. if you are the older candidate you look past your prime or you look wise and experienced. i thought that disparity there favored biden. >> jennifer: so you thought that ryan looked like too youthful, too inexperienced? >> yeah, he did. by comparison and also their dynamics. the way they were relating to each other. i thought it looked like biden was going to ground him at the end of the evening and take away his car keys. >> jennifer: i thought biden's showing years of experience callingnetenyahu, bb and long time buddies, and he knows his providence so well. although i thought paul ryan probably had the names

we'll hear from alan schroeder. there the debate change the momentum of the race?that's the question. tweet me your thoughts. oh no, not a migraine now. try this... bayer? this isn't just a headache. trust me, this is new bayer migraine. [ male announcer ] it's the power of aspirin plus more in a triple action formula to relieve your tough migraines. new bayer migraine formula. promise full whitening results in two weeks or more. rembrandt® deeply white™ 2 hour whitening kit is proven to quickly remove surface stains and deep stains in just two hours. [ female announcer ] rembrandt® deeply white™: whiten in just 2 hours. since then, there's been one wedding, 2 kids, and 43 bottles of olay total effects. so in spite of 185 tantrums 378 pre-dawn starts and a lot of birthdays, caroline still looks amazing. you can challenge what's possible thanks to the trusted performance of olay. 60 years, millions of women, real results. gives you a 50% annual bonus. and everyone, but her... likes 50% more cash. but, i have an idea. do you want a princess dress? yes how about some

alan schroeder, thanks for your time today. >> thanks. >>> coming up, spraupreme court choice.tial election could impact the supreme court and a woman's right to choose. but first -- >> mr. president, are you ready for tonight? how are you feeling about tonight? >> i feel great. it's a beautiful day. hope you enjoy the weather. >> are you aware michelle voted for you yesterday? >> thank goodness. >> he says thank goodness. that was president obama a short timing a grow. m? i'm the giants mascot. the giants don't have a mascot! ohhh! eat up! new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks mom! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they help s

well that's alan schroeder author of presidential debates 50 years of high-risk tv.joining us inside "the war room." coming up, our next big debate lie is so outrageous, it actually makes my eyes twitch when i hear it. so i apologize for that beforehand. >> jennifer: all right tonight we're taking apart mitt's debate lies. here's lie number four, one that really makes my eyes twitch or my blood boil, pick your condition. his comment about clean energy investment. >> romney: i think about half of them -- of the ones that have been invested in have gone to business. a number happen to be owned by people who are contributors to your campaigns. >> jennifer: not true. here's the reality of the 26 winners of the department of energy loan guarantees, three of the companies have failed. three out of 26. not even come close to half and those three companies got less than 2% of the total clean energy investment according to "the new york times" and bloomberg news. much better than a venture capital record would ever find but then of course in typical romney style his campaign

joining us tonight for more on how we can expect the to perform is alan schroeder.e is a professor of journalism at northeastern university and author of "presidential debates: 50 yours of high risk tv". love it! welcome inside "the war room" professor. >> thank you very much. i wanted to start by saying can i call you jennifer the way that sarah palin -- >> only if you wink when you do that. >> right. right. >> jennifer: you absolutely can, let's start with the candidate's weaknesses. you have said that president obama has several weaknesses. he may be overly cautious rusty, out of practice and testy. any of those fatal flaws? >> not necessarily unless they are magnified in a way that make them a fatal flaw. but related to all of that is this idea that i don't think he is that excited about being in the debate, and i think that's typical for a lot of candidates and yet that is a problem. because when you are happy to be there, that's when you turn in a good performance. it's when you are worried about feel like you are stepping through land mines that things can go

joining us from boston, a professor alan schroeder. he has 50 years of high risk tv. what makes a good debate and a good debater? >> i think the difference between a really good debate from my standpoint, intercollegiate debate, and debates we see at the presidential level is that a really good debate would be characterized by some depth of clash and arguments back and forth between the two. a lot of that is missing from presidential debate. the testing of ideas comes from that clash. without that clash, i think the debates to not serve quite the punch. in presidential debates, the primary function they serve is to fill in the blanks in between, give the challenger and opportunity to be on the same stage, as laura was indicating. they serve a valuable function. comparing them to the types of debates at the collegiate level is unfair, i think. >> alan schroeder, you called this a high risk television. why? >> it is a television show more than a traditional debate. a debate is the word we have used. back in 1961 they were doing the first one, the networks did not want t

we'll get analysis and pre-debate strategy with alan schroeder, the author of " "presidential debates: 5 years of high-risk tv." that's right here right in "the war room"." >> eliot: that sounds great. we'll be watching. thanks our conversation is with you the viewer because we're independent. >>here's how you can connect with "viewpoint with eliot spitzer." >>questions, of course, need to be answered. >>we will not settle for the easy answers. a. >> eliot: the supreme court starts a new term today, beginning a year that will perhaps force it's resolve issues as diverse as the constitutionality of affirmative action, same-sex marriage, and range of fourth amendment issues that have percolated up through the criminal justice system. all of which reminds us that five is the most powerful number in the nation. five votes on the supreme court can pick a president recall bush v. gore. redefine our constitutional rights, think citizens united, and determine the constitutionality of a statute. think of the healthcare act of last june. maybe this is good news because the court over the past f

," jennifer granholm will break down the debate with presidential historian and debate expert alan schroeder towards libya with the middle east e peter lawrence korb of the center for american progress. that's atttttttttttttttttttttttttttt (vo) during the debates, it's hard to know what candidates are thinking. unless, of course you've stood at the podium yourself. with governors granholm, spitzer, and vice president gore, watch the only truly experienced presidential debate coverage.

joining me now alan schroeder, a professor of the school of journalism in northeast university in boston author of "presidential debates, 50 years of high-risk tv" and patrick millsap who served as chief of staff in newt gingrich's campaign. patrick, you say that newt gingrich's pious baa loney line is one of the strongest hits during his campaign run against mitt romney. >> can we drop some of the pious baloney? you ran in '94 and lost. that's why you weren't serving in the senate for rick santorum. suddenly citizenship showed up in your mind, level with the american people. you have been running since the 1990s. >> how much of those zingers are pre-thought out and what does mitt romney have to do to avoid taking a big hit tomorrow night? >> that was all newt. part of great thing about newt, he knew the topic, knew the weak points, but prepared to answer the question. if you can come up with pious baloney, that puts a cherry on top. if you googled baloney two hours after the debate, you would get oscar meyer and then newt gingrich. romney has the same opportunity, when it comes to obama

alan schroeder, we appreciate it.e on cnn.com/opinion. >>> question, can the next president keep america from going broke? got very heated between the president and mitt romney over the ballooning deficit. we're fact checking those claims next. but they haven't experiencd extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. visit fastreliefchallenge.com when we got married. i had three kids. and she became the full time mother of three. it was soccer, and ballet, and cheerleading, and baseball. those years were crazy. so, as we go into this next phase, you know, a big part of it for us is that there isn't anything on the schedule. that was me... the day i learned i had to start insulin for my type 2 diabetes. me... thinking my only option was the vial and syringe dad used. and me... discovering once-daily levemir® flexpen. flexpen® is prefilled. doesn't need refrigeratio

use it to continue to go after the people who represent a threat to this nation. >> professor alan schroederates:50 years worth of high risk tv." welcome back to you. why do you think mitt romney was so, what's the word, pleasant, so nice, you know, compared to maybe that debate number one? you write in your piece, his aim was to project, quote, an aura of unflapability. work for him? >> absolutely. here's the thing. i think it was a case of strategic agreeability. he was being agreeable, but there was a bigger thing he was trying to do there, which was come across as a commander in chief. i think he also knew he wasn't going to win the debate on substance. obviously obama has a huge advantage over him on that count. so he was trying to do something else more on the personal level. that was the take i had on it. >> strategic agreeability, wanting to look presidential. here is obama, stinging like a bee. take a look. >> the challenge we have, i know you haven't been in a position to actually execute foreign policy, but every time you've offered an opinion, you've been wrong. >> since romney w

is carol simpson the first female minority nod rate one of these head-to-heads and professor alan schroederhe's a presidential historian and the author of "le debates 50 years of high risk tv. it's great to have you both here. carol line i want to start with you. what do you think we can expect this time around what the candidate will bring to the table for this third and final debate, where they will reach millions of americans. >> thomas i've been wrestling with this all morning trying to speculate what may happen tonight. we're not going to have the first debate where obama was asleep. we're not going to have the second debate where they were gladiators on the arena floor. tonight i don't have any idea. people are saying oh, they will be more somber and calmer and so on. bath i don't think we know. one thing i do suspect, however, is that it is going to veer away from foreign policy and get into domestic policy again. i talked to a man in my building as i was leaving this morning and i said your watching the debate tonight and he said i don't think so. i said you're not? he said no i don

. >>> someone else who was watching the debate closely, alan schroeder, author of "presidential debates0 years of high risk tv" and journalism professor at northwestern university in boston, wrote about his take on last night's debate on cnn.com. he joins me now with historical perspective. it's interesting, you say incumbents usually fall flat on the first debate. why is that? >> well, there are several reasons for that, and actually, they make sense. first of all, the incumbent is out of practice. he or she has not been on a debate stage in four years and mitt romney, on the other hand, has had 20 plus primary debates this season. then also, they live in a white house cocoon. the incumbents are not used to having people challenge them directly, especially in a really personal way as was the case last night with mitt romney. >> some people have said they thought president obama seemed almost irritated to be confronted like that. you think part of that, if it was irritation, that comes from the idea that he's been surrounded in this sort of presidential bubble where people aren't attack

joining me now is alan schroeder, professor of the school of journalism in northeastern university inn, author of "presidential debates, 50 years of high risk tv." also, patrick milsap, republican strategists who served as chief of staff in newt gingrich's presidential campaign. patrick, you say newt gingrich's famous pious baloney line was one of his strongest hits against mitt romney during the primary debates. i want to play that for our viewers who don't remember. take a look. >> can we drop a little bit of the pious baloney? the fact is you ran in '94 and lost. that's why you -- this idea that suddenly citizenship showed up in your mind, just level with the american people. you've been running for at least since the 1990s. >> i'm curious how much of those kind of zingers are prethought out and what does mitt romney have to do to avoid taking a big hit tomorrow night? >> well, that was all newt and part of the great thing about newt is that he knew the topic, you knew the weak points, but he was prepared to answer the question and then if you can come up with pious baloney, then t

in massachusetts near boston is alan schroeder, presidential debate expert and professor of journalismty. he's author of presidential debates, 50 years of high risk tv. good morning. we certainly learned the last time around it's high risk tv. brett, let me start with you. president obama will start three days of debate preparation today so, at this point what do you think he has to do to win this next debate and how important it is for him? >> i think this debate is everything for him. mow the first debate was by all accounts a tragedy for the president. the polls turned around. i think he's got to get in the game. so, you know, this happens frequently with incumbent presidents who don't take the presidential debates as seriously as they should. it happened back in 2004 when george bush didn't perform as well in his first debate and he did actually come back. so we'll see if the president can do the same. >> you coached romney, brett. how would you approach him if you were the president and what would you say are his weak spots? >> well, both men are not very good when they get on the

well that's alan schroeder author of presidential debates 50 years of high-risk tv. thanks so much for joining us inside "the war room." coming up, our next big debate lie is so outrageous, it actually makes my eyes twitch when i hear it. so i apologize for that beforehand. you're watching "the war room" on current tv. we'll be right back. you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. [ male announcer ] you like who you are... and you learned something along the way. this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for