Prof. Alan Schroeder Comments on Presidential Debates
Prof. Alan Schroeder is a highly sought after expert on presidential debates. His two books on presidential debates, Presidential Debates: 40 Years of High-Risk TV and an updated version, Presidential Debates: 50 Years of High-Risk TV, has made him a popular source for interviews on the topic.
Read what Prof. Schroeder says about this year’s debates from a variety of news sources.
January 8
In his Jan. 8 Huffington Post article, "New Hampshire Double-header: A Tale of Two Debates," Alan Schroeder says despite the 10 hour difference "...the events felt as different as night and day." According to Prof. Schroeder, the Saturday night debate Romney managed to escape criticism from his opponents. The Sunday morning debate, however, Romney "found himself in the hot seat." Read the story.>>
November 9
At the November 9 Republican Presidential Debate in Michigan Herman Cain got audience support in spite of his sexual harassment scandal and Rick Perry had a brain freeze while he tried to list federal agencies he would eliminate if elected, according to Alan Schroeder's latest article in the Huffington Post. In "The Elephant in the Room: Republicans Debate in Michigan," Prof. Schroeder concluded that the debate "...produced no particular winner, and one enormous loser: Rick Perry." Read the story.>>
October 28
Will Perry skip some future presidential debates? Prof. Alan Schroeder says he's making a mistake in his Huffington Post piece, "Rick Perry: Afraid to Debate?" He says, "Debating is an inevitable part of what modern presidential contenders are called upon to do. Any unwillingness to accept this requirement smacks of cowardice." Read the story.>>
OCTOBER 18
According to Prof. Alan Schroeder's Huffington Post article following the Los Vegas debate, Mitt Romney lost his cool, Rick Perry came prepared and, as expected, Herman Cain focused on his 9-9-9 plan. In "What happened in Vegas: The Romney-Perry Bout," he had a suggestion for producers of the next debate. "Cut the extraneous set-up material. And don't move Romney away from Perry on the debate stage. The dynamic between these two candidates is too compelling to tamper with." Read the story.>>
OCTOBER 11
In "Debate at Dartmough: Jobs, Economics and the GOP," in the Huffington Post, Prof. Alan Schroeder summed up the Oct. 11 Dartmouth College debate. He said, "At the end of the Dartmouth debate, here's what we know: Rick Perry neither stumbled nor shone. Cain basked in the spotlight but ultimately did not have much to say. And Romney maintained his status as alpha dog of the 2012 Republican field." Read the story.>>
SEPTEMBER 23
In "Perry v. Romney: Badminton At The Debate Hall," Prof. Alan Schroeder critiqued the Sept. 22 presidential Orlando debate in his Sept. 23 Huffington Post article. He said, "Romney and Perry are well matched in these debates. The strengths of one are the weaknesses of the other." Read the story,>>
SEPTEMBER 12
It was "Rick Perry's night," according to Prof. Alan Schroeder. In his Sept. 12 Huffington Post article, "Rick Perry, Human Piñata," Prof. Schroeder reviews the CNN-Tea Party Debate in Tampa. Read the article.>>
SEPTEMBER 7:
Prof. Alan Schroeder reviews Texas Governor Rick Perry's debate debut in his Sept. 7 Huffington Post article, "In the Shadow of Reagan: Rick Perry's Presidential Debate Debut." According to Prof. Schroeder, his first debate was "...neither a triumph nor a disaster, leaving the score at the end of the night essentially unchanged. Read the story.>>
"Despite Perry's history as a perennial office-seeker and this track record of ten consecutive electoral wins, the man sorely lacks debate experience," writes Prof. Alan Schroeder in his Sept. 4 Huffington Post article. In "September Debate Preview: Rick Perry and the 2012 Republicans," Prof. Schroeder presents several issues Gov. Perry must deal with in the upcoming Sept. 7 debate at the Reagan Library. Read the story.>>
AUGUST 12:
In "Showdown in Ames: The Republican Presidential Debate," Prof. Alan Schroeder gave candidate Michele Bachmann a less than stellar review. After an "impressive performance" in New Hampshire in June, "...the congresswoman suffered a bad case of sophomore slump," says Prof. Schroeder in an August 12 post in the Huffington Post. In the article he notes that the evening produced several winners. Read Prof. Schroeder's critique of the August 11 debate in Iowa.>>
JUNE 14:
Prof. Alan Schroeder posted an article June 14 on the HuffiPost about the June 13 New Hampshire presidential debate. His article, "Michele Bachmann's Presidenital Debate Debut," takes note of the newcomer’s success in positioning herself on the Republican presidential candidate list. He writes, "Compared to her six male opponents, Bachmann came across as scrappy and forthright. You may disagree with every word she says, but there's no question the woman has the courage of her convictions." Read the rest of the story.>>