Thursday, November 26, 2009

Opinion

Robert Schlesinger

John McCain and Barack Obama's Debates Probably Won't Be Game-Changers

September 25, 2008 05:37 PM ET | Robert Schlesinger | Permanent Link | Print

If you watch the bloviators on the 24-hour news networks, you know that Friday night's debate (if it comes off) will be a game-changer—it's pretty well accepted conventional wisdom at this point.

But it's wrong, according to Gallup. Gallup looked at its polling numbers and found that only 1960 and 2000 were associated with meaningful shifts in public opinion.

Tags: debates | presidential election 2008 | Barack Obama | John McCain | Gallup

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Robert Schlesinger is a deputy editor at U.S. News and World Report and oversees all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters.

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