October 4, 2012

Off-camera: What you didn't see at debates

Julie Pace and Kasie Hunt / The Associated Press

 

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Occupy Denver protesters rally against the presidential debate around the University of Denver campus on Wednesday. About 150 protesters shouted slogans denouncing a two-party system and the war in Afghanistan and demanding affordable health care.

AP

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DENVER — Most voters watched the debate on the television and didn't get to see what happened before and after President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney took the stage. And even then, some of the nonverbal exchanges were lost in broadcast.

Here's what those viewers missed:

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Outside the hall

Not everyone was a fan of what was happening on the University of Denver campus.

About 150 protesters with Occupy Denver marched down Yale Avenue, some eight blocks from the campus. Protesters shouted slogans denouncing a two-party system and the war in Afghanistan and demanding affordable health care.

Jason Leher, a 23-year-old Evergreen State College student from Denver, was cutting out paper letters for a large blue sign that read, "The whole world is our free speech zone."

Others carried signs reading, "Both parties suck." Others read, "Demand real debates."

Just before the debate, police diverted the marchers away from the campus.

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Quiet, please

Some of the debates leading up to Romney's nomination were a bit on the boisterous side, to understate it.

Applause, hollers and boos punctuated some of the GOP primary debates, with now-vanquished contenders Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich playing more to the audience in the hall than the one watching at home.

Not this time.

Repeatedly, before the candidates entered the hall, organizers chided the audience of 975 — a third each from the Obama campaign, Romney campaign and organizers' picks — to behave.

If they didn't, moderator Jim Lehrer warned, he would ask Michelle Obama and Ann Romney to help enforce the rule against audience reaction to answers.

The audience sat shrouded in darkness throughout the debate. And they largely followed the guidance of debate officials, interjecting laughter only twice — once when Obama mentioned his 20th wedding anniversary to Michelle and again near the end of the debate when the president mentioned that it would be hard for Romney to work with Democrats at the same time he was repealing the health care law they helped pass.

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The physical moves

When Romney all but accused Obama of lying about his tax plan, the president alternated between looking directly at his Republican rival and bowing his head to take notes.

At another time, Romney looked to the moderator, waving his hand slightly in the air to indicate that he wanted to jump into the debate. He then insisted that he wanted to have "the last word."

To be sure, a lot of the exchanges will not be reflected in the transcript.

The president spent much of his time at the podium bowing his head and taking notes, or staring directly at his opponent. He balanced his weight on one foot, crossing his right leg behind his left foot. At one point, a loud thud could be heard coming from backstage. Obama took notice, turning around briefly, though nothing was visible from the stage.

At other times, Romney alternated between a forced smile and surprised scowl as the president spoke.

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The end

After the pair finished their 90 minutes of sparring, each walked across the stage to shake hands.

"Good job," the president told his challenger.

Soon after, Ann Romney walked up the stairs, making an excited and triumphant gesture toward her husband before embracing him. Following her up on stage? Four of Romney's five sons, one of his daughters-in-law and two of his middle school-age grandchildren.

(Continued on page 2)

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