When it comes to the pre-debate PR spin, both campaigns’ policies have been clear: build up expectations for the other candidate in the hope that he fails to fulfill them. Not so for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Regardless of whether Governor Romney rises to Christie’s expectations, it’s unrealistic to characterize any presidential debate as a “barn burner” in this day and age. With the constant media attention that has become the staple of modern elections, both candidates are hardly starving for a chance to have their words reach the American public. Furthermore, as Saturday Night Live spoofed in their September 27 episode, any voter who is still seriously undecided at this point in the election cycle is likely to be so politically inactive as to be unmoved by the outcome of the debates.
Instead, the debates serve as yet another exercise in media attention for its own sake, giving the political talking heads another excuse to bloviate in prime-time. In the end, there’s not much drama to this over-hyped political circus.