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<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks during a stop in Middlesburg, Ohio, in September. Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., campaigns in Clearwater, Fla., in September.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Tonight's debate stakes higher for McCain 10/7/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Some do's and don'ts for the presidential candidates By Andy Rathbun Herald Writer It may not reach Super Bowl proportions, but chances are the second presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain will attract another huge crowd tonight. Their first time out, the men drew 52.4 million viewers, a massive audience that was actually a bit low. Since 1976, ratings for the verbal sparring has averaged 57.4 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research. While roughly one sixth of the U.S. population scrutinized the candidates on Sept. 26, many called it a draw. Since there's nothing more stale than a stalemate, we hit the history books to ferret out some advice for the battling senators, the Obaminator and the White Tornado, Obama and McCain. DO: By all means, speak with a faint Southern drawl. (See Jimmy Carter, 1976, Bill Clinton, 1992 and 1996, and George W. Bush, 2000 and 2004.) DON'T: Speak like a loud, boring robot. (See Gerald Ford, 1976, Bob Dole, 1996, John Kerry, 2004.) DO: Pander like you're talking to a crowd of infantile monkeys, like Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during their 1858 senatorial debates. DON'T: Exploit the issue of race. Sure, Lincoln and Douglas did that too, but it's got awkward written all over it anymore. DO: Look tanned, confident, well-rested -- Kennedyesque, even -- like, well, John Kennedy in 1960. DON'T: Refuse makeup, despite the fact that you look like a warmed-over corpse -- can a corpse sweat? -- as Richard Nixon did in that same debate. DO: Pose a simplistic question to the crowd, such as, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" like Ronald Reagan did in 1980. DON'T: Be the guy responsible for the past four years, like Carter. Poor Carter. Even that Southern drawl couldn't save him. DO: Keep your opponent on the defensive, like Kerry in 2004. DON'T: Think winning a debate means winning a presidency. Sorry, Kerry. Andy Rathbun arathbun@heraldnet.com, 425-339-3455 Presidential debate 6 to 7:30 tonight, all major networks, broadcasting from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., with Tom Brokaw moderating READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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