What You Need to Know Before Wednesday Night’s Debate - East Idaho News
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What You Need to Know Before Wednesday Night’s Debate

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GETTY P 100312 DenverDebateStage?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1349275271326SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney will face off Wednesday night in the first presidential debate of the 2012 election.

The forum will focus exclusively on domestic policy.  Half of the debate will be on the economy, the other half will ask the candidates to address health care, their view of the role of government and their vision for governing.

Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday night’s big campaign moment:

Who: The first debate will feature the two candidates for president: President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

When: 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET

PBS NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer will be the moderator, his 12th time moderating a presidential debate.  He also moderated the first presidential debate in 2008, in Oxford, Miss., between then-Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.

Obama will sit to the right of Lehrer and Romney will sit to the left.

Where: The Magness Arena at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness at the University of Denver.

Introductions: Obama won the coin toss and will be introduced first, followed by Romney.

Opening Statements: Neither candidate will have a chance to address the audience directly with an opening statement.

Format: There will be six, 15-minute segments focused exclusively on domestic policy.  Unlike the primary debates, there will be no applause allowed from the audience.

  • Segments 1, 2 and 3: The Economy
  • Segment 4: Health Care
  • Segment 5: The Role of Government
  • Segment 6: Governing

Lehrer will ask a question to open discussion in each segment and Obama and Romney will each have two minutes to respond.  The remaining time — approximately 10 minutes — will be devoted to further discussion moderated by Lehrer.

Closing Arguments: Obama and Romney will have two minutes each to deliver their closing statements directly to voters at the end of the debate.  Romney won the coin toss and will make his statement last.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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