How a debate is scored?

[kentuck]

If you were for Obama, you expected a knockdown and then you expected him to sweep the floor with his listless, lying body.

If you were for Romney, if he was still standing at the end of the debate, it was a victory. If he scored a few points, it was the greatest debate since Reagan.

If you were someone in the middle, not totally invested either way, it seemed like a draw or a slight advantage to Romney.

But to DUers and many in the media, it was a disaster. It's like they woke up on Christmas morning and had nothing but a piece of coal in their stocking...

The right-wing media was more than willing to take these scores and run with them forever.

[JHB]

1. Real ones, or the political theatre that goes by the name

For the latter, the only score that counts is the one on election day, and that mixes a whole lot of other factors in with the same "grade".

Individually, there is no score except in peoples' heads. It's not everything, but it's not nothing either.

[B2G]

3. If you show up and don't say shit, you lose.

Easy peasy.