Page 7 - Debate Setting News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

It's the debate we'll have next. and it's the debate the republicans are ready for. >> okay. >> is the president ready for it? he says everyone didn't get what they wanted, but what i'm always going to remember about this fiscal cliff is the president's pep rally in the middle of the afternoon yesterday, absolutely surreal. the only thing was mitt romney in a debate setting. >> we'll hear from charles krauthammer about that. let's do other headlines, shall we? >> okay. >> countries around the world are ringing in the new year. vatican city holding a special mass to celebrate watch. [singing] >...

Issues for the president, he doesn't have the five-point plan. whatever you think of mitt romney's five-point plan, he said it at least three or four times last night, and there is something reassuring for folks who are looking for answers in having that level of specificity. >> you know, there's two things that leap out at me. we're watching these images, this awkward physical spacing on this red rug that's been in place since the mid-'70s for this debate setting. and what you notice is i do think there is a danger for mitt romney in keeping that level of aggressiveness as high as it was. bar...

And i think, you know, both of them are, obviously, skilled debaters. i think the town hall format is one both of them are comfortable in. i think the president did a very good job four years ago in a town hall debate setting. he's comfortable with that direct interchange. the difference here is that the questions of the citizens are going to control the flow of the debate. and so that creates a little more unpredictability. but i expect both of them to be able to handle that pretty well. >> a flap has developed today over concerns that both campaigns had, in a memorandum of understanding that...

Republican-leaning independents. a lot of those shift internally in the polls was -- sort of right-leaning independents moving into romney. i don't think those folks would be moving into romney now just naturally. i mean, i think that they needed a reason to get there. so actually, no. i think the debate did push him there. by the way, one quick point on the vp debate, the ryan folks are a little nervous that expectations are not in their favor, meaning there's this expectation that ryan's going to -- that biden's a gaffe machine, ryan's going to beat him in the debate, that same pew poll and ...

Other telling them hey, you know what? the deductions are at risk. either way those are discussions he's not wanting to have. he's got to force him into a corner on that. let me ask you quickly, what do you think -- mr. ryan -- steve kornacki? >> i i've always been impressed by joe biden. the reason he ended up on the ticket in 2008 is because of all those primary dietz bates, when it was hillary and obama were the stars, but the guy invariably we end up saying won those debates was joe biden. he's a strong communicator, very good in the debate setting. i expect him to press the case in a way ...