ABSTRACT
Debates between presidential candidates are filtered through the media. The television camera moves to the faces of the candidates, noticing that one candidate has his head down or a smirk on his face while the other is speaking. The camera catches the stridency of a gesture, the awkwardness of a bodily movement, the effect of which is to distract from what is being said. Masterful may be plausible in characterizing the theatrics of Romney's performance, but hardly reflects the content of his assertions. There was little difference between Romney's performances in the debates, only that the deviousness and emptiness of both his performances became visible in the debate, because Obama effectively exposed them. As Obama said in the debate with him, Romney has been all over the map in his campaign for the nomination and, having won the nomination, in his campaign for the presidency.
