Debates focus on surfaces

Political debates are as old as politics itself, and experts say everything from image to rhetorical style play into who wins.

With a close race, whoever wins the presidential debate could win the election. Roughly one-third to one-half of voters wait until after the debates to make up their minds.

"(Voters) can evaluate the candidates firsthand rather than filtered," said Bruce Altschuler, professor of political science at the State University of New York-Oswego.

Robert Denton Jr., professor of communications at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, said that for a debate to be effective, voters already must be informed generally of the issues.

"The primary effects of (these) debates are not to change someone's mind, but to serve as a reinforcement," he said.

But people who already have their minds set about a candidate will be harder to sway, he said. Research has shown that undecideds look at debates as their deciding factor.

Denton predicts 60 million people will watch the debates this year, as opposed to the almost 47 million who watched four years ago.

Experts differ on the secret to a successful debate - presenting a likable image or being on the right side of an issue for the voting public. Denton said he believes the image in a debate is stressed beyond the actual issues.

He pointed to the 1992 debate between Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, saying that Bush's glance at his watch indicated to the audience that he must be bored and out of touch with his presidency. At the same time, he said, Clinton appeared empathetic and personable.

"You have to be mindful of image dimension, trying to be warm, likeable and friendly," he said. "Elements of leadership are also important."

While the political candidates are answering questions, viewers are focused on questions of their own.

"When a person is watching a debate, they mainly look for answers to the questions: Can I trust them? Do I believe them? Do I like them? Can I relate to them?" Denton said.

But Robert Butterworth, a psychologist at International Trauma Associates, said he believes issues should be the viewer's primary focus.

Contrary to his beliefs, Butterworth developed a scale to rate a candidate's psychological performance, which can test factors including nervousness, eye contact, decisiveness and defensive behavior. "Regardless of what I do, people should focus more on the issues," he said.

Altschuler said a candidate must integrate character with issues and set some sort of theme that uses both. "Try not to be focused on who won, but rather what information you can get out of the debate," he said. "Ask yourself, 'What did I learn?'"

Denton said candidates often enter what is known as a sound-bite war, much like a commercial, with a special slogan by which to be remembered.

He said a good debate is between candidates who know their themes and hit those two or three like a hammer to a nail, over and over again.

But Altschuler said debates in which two sides of a question are answered and candidates share their respective opinions do not exist.

"They have points they want to make and will make them rather than answer the questions directly."

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.