Topic: Candy Crowley

Obama, Romney surrogates insist their guy will win. Both can't be right.

On this last Sunday before 2012’s contentious presidential election, campaign surrogates had their game faces on, bluffing and butting heads rhetorically about what Election Day portends.

Decoder Wire
Bob Schieffer and presidential debate: Will this moderator enforce the rules?

Bob Schieffer moderates the third presidential debate, on foreign policy, Monday evening. If the first two debates are any indication, the challenge for him will be containing the discussion.

Mitt Romney as self-appointed debate referee? A man who lives by rules

When it comes to presidential debates – and most other things – Mitt Romney is a stickler for the rules. Watch for it during Monday's presidential debate.

The Vote
Presidential debate: How would you rate this musical parody? (+video)

The musical comedy stylings of The Gregory Brothers are audio-video parodies of the presidential debates. The latest one, set to music, replicates Tuesday night's town-hall debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney. 

Decoder Wire
Presidential debate 101: When did Obama label Libya attack 'terror'?

In a narrow sense, Mitt Romney was wrong when he said at the presidential debate that Obama took weeks to describe the consulate attack in Libya as an act of 'terror.' But in a larger sense, Romney isn’t wrong.

Opinion: R.I.P. town-hall presidential debates

In Tuesday’s presidential debate moderated by Candy Crowley, both candidates focused more on delivering their prepared quips and the equality of timekeeping than directly answering voters' questions. The town-hall debate has not lived up to its promise. It is time to try a fresh format.

Presidential debate 101: Does Romney’s tax math add up?

Here’s a closer look at the tax reform proposals that Mitt Romney discussed during Tuesday night's debate. Do President Obama and others have a point in challenging the math?

The Vote
Viewing the Romney-Obama debate in battleground Ohio: a tribal experience

There's much cheering and a close watch on social media as two partisan crowds in Ohio, a state that could swing the election, track the ebb and flow of momentum in Tuesday's presidential debate.

Candy Crowley: How did she do as moderator of the presidential debate?

Candy Crowley was the first woman to moderate a presidential debate in 20 years. She stepped into the debate to correct a Mitt Romney statement about Libya. Democrats hailed Candy Crowley's intercession, while many Republicans called it out of line.

'Binders full of women': What's the social media buzz about?

'Binders full of women': Romney used the phrase in answering a question about income equality for women. 'Binders full of women' now has a Twitter hashtag, and at least 20 Facebook accounts.

Decoder Wire
Has Obama reenergized Democrats with debate performance? (+video)

Obama’s forceful performance Tuesday night is likely to quiet Democrats’ doubts and help energize them for the tough final weeks of the campaign. Snap surveys judged Obama the winner, but the big question is whether his slide in the polls will stop now.

Round 2: President Obama turns up the heat in combative debate (+video)

In a shift from the usual style of a town-hall debate, both Obama and Romney used the questions – and the physical space on stage – to directly challenge each other and, on occasion, the moderator.

Decoder Wire
Town-hall presidential debate: what to know about Candy Crowley's rules

From an audience of 80 undecided voters at Tuesday night's presidential debate, CNN's Candy Crowley will select some to ask questions of President Obama and Mitt Romney. In question is how much leeway Crowley has to follow up or press the candidates.

Decoder Wire
What does Obama want to accomplish in next presidential debate? (+video)

'More energetic' is how campaign advisers describe what they hope to see from Obama in Tuesday's presidential debate. That 'energy' is likely to be directed toward painting Mitt Romney as a 'severe conservative.'

Decoder Wire
Presidential debate: what you need to know about Jim Lehrer's rules

The presidential debate Wednesday will be a little different from past debates, with moderator Jim Lehrer trying to create discussion and not just sound bytes.

Decoder Wire
'SNL' depicts undecided voters as dumb. Is that right?

'When is the election?' and 'Who is running?' are two of the undecided voters' questions in an 'SNL' parody. The truth is these voters are less partisan, less engaged, and just now making up their minds.

Did girls' petition help Candy Crowley land gig as a debate moderator?

CNN's Candy Crowley was named Monday as a presidential debate moderator, the first woman in that role in 20 years. Three students who campaigned for a woman were 'exuberant, thrilled, excited.'

Things you probably didn’t know about Paul Ryan

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan is a 'gym rat' who considered becoming a pro skier before turning to politics. He's a budget hawk and strongly antiabortion, but he's gone against the GOP on some issues. And what about his job driving the Wienermobile?

Bain Capital, tax returns continue to dog Romney. Can Obama make it stick?

The Sunday TV talk shows were filled with campaign surrogates for Mitt Romney and Barack Obama arguing about Romney's income taxes and his years running Bain Capital. It's meat for political junkies, but do average voters care?

Mitt Romney sits for an interview, and not just on Fox News

Mitt Romney sat down for an interview on 'Face the Nation,' fielding hard balls not typically thrown at him on Fox News. Meanwhile, Obama strategist David Plouffe darted among four other Sunday talk shows, zinging Romney and defending Obama's controversial moves.

Hillary Clinton for president? Eight Democrats who might run next time.

In the world of presidential politics, 2016 actually isn’t that far away, especially given how much time and effort it takes to mount a serious campaign. Months before the 2012 votes were counted, speculation had started over who might run in four years – fueled by no less a figure than former President Bill Clinton. He has suggested many times that his wife, soon-to-be-ex-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, might change her mind about not running once she’s had a break. Here are some of the other possible contenders.

(Updated Dec. 11, 2012)

The Vote
Will Ron Paul win more delegates this week than Gingrich, Santorum?

Ron Paul is likely to win more delegates to the 2012 GOP convention than either Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum this week. Wait. What? That's why he campaigned in Maine this weekend.

Tea Party Tally
Tea party fuels rise of Herman Cain. So how can it be racist?

Herman Cain surged to the top of the GOP presidential field in one poll on Thursday, buttressed by strong tea party support. Tea party backers say that shows the movement isn't racist.

"Decision Points": George Bush's view of his presidency

In his new memoir "Decision Points," George W. Bush weighs in on the Iraq war, the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, John McCain's 2008 campaign, and other episodes in his presidency.