Watching the pre-debate warmup--a Fox commentator just said "let's get ready to rumble." We're being treated to a description of the ground rules, the green light that warns candidates about their time, the contenders…
"Who's back and controlling the pace?" asks a CNN commentator. "Who takes the room?" The fans scream. The debate countdown clock is at 00. Leher shoots his cuffs, checks his pockets. Where are the cheerleaders?
Wolf Blitzer: "First impressions are important." Co-commentator: "Demeanor evidence."
Here now, Jim Lehrer. Let the games begin.
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Jessica Clark is a writer, editor and researcher, with more than 15 years of experience spanning commercial, educational, independent and public media production. Currently she is the Research Director for American University’s Center for Social Media. She also writes a monthly column for PBS’ MediaShift on new directions in public media. She is the author, with Tracy Van Slyke, of Beyond the Echo Chamber: Reshaping Politics Through Networked Progressive Media (2010, New Press).
