Five things McCain and Obama must do in tonight's debate

Trust on the economy is where Obama wins when he counter-punches – it is the cut above McCain's eye that he should just pound on at every opportunity (as Biden did in the VP debate).

4.  It is Oprah, not a Harvard vs. Yale debate:  The public watches these debates to get a sense of the character of the candidates. Voters are not scoring it like a Harvard versus Yale debate, but watch it the same way they would watch Oprah.

Given that it is a town-hall style debate involving direct interaction with the audience, the premium on connecting in terms of a candidate's character is even higher than in a moderated debate.

Candidates have made mistakes in the past that badly hurt them – not just because of what they said – but how they looked. Bush Sr. at his watch; Nixon's darting eyes; Gore sighs.

5.   You don't have to win: Obama does not have to win in a conventional sense. He just has to avoid doing anything that changes the fundamentals of the campaign. Thus, don't let a need to win the debate lead to Obama being "hot" or "out of character."

In this corner...

Rob Stutzman is a Republican strategist, frequent television commentator and former communications director for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  He offers:

The Five Things John McCain Must Do

1. Be stern but calm. Don't appear angry. Angry John McCain is not reassuring. Keep it in check.  Your temperament is an issue, don’t fuel the concerns.

2. Speak to Americans who are sitting at home on their sofa scared about the threat to their way of life. Show them you understand.  Talk passionately about middle-class Americans the same way you speak with deep conviction about our brave men and women in uniform.

3. Give those same people the confidence you can lead them through this crisis with an agenda of tax cuts, economic growth, and energy independence that creates American jobs and keeps energy dollars in the USA. Tell them that's why you want to be their president.

At the moment, Americans don’t care as much that you were right about The Surge as they want to see someone who will protect the middle class. That’s not your wheelhouse, but it’s the best shot you have at turning this race around.

4. Take on Keating 5 and turn it on Obama. Own it. Talk about how it changed you into a bipartisan reformer. Challenge Obama to describe his life defining experiences that have prepared him to serve. Remind Americans of the Obama experience deficit in dramatic fashion.

Challenge him to cite the great bipartisan accomplishment of his career before you rip off the litany substantive bipartisan achievements you own.

5. Give the performance of your life. Now is your moment. Tonight's your format. The bleeding in red states must stop now or a Obama landslide could start to manifest itself. Tonight's an elimination game. Play like there's no tomorrow.

When

With this information, download your John McCain bingo card or your Barack Obama bingo card and let the games begin.  The debate begins at 9pm (ET) and will be broadcast on all network and cable news programs.  It will also be streamed on the Internet.

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