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Analyzing the First Presidential Debate Between Obama and Romney
Introduction
Presidential debates are not a recent phenomenon as the first televised debate was in 1960
between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. However, previous discussions are considered
predecessors to the current presidential debates such as the debates between Abraham Lincoln
and Stephen A. Douglas in 1958. Recently, the presidential debates have consisted in three
debates, a domestic debate, a foreign debate, and a general debate in which both candidates
express their points and answer questions from the audience and a moderator. Candidates have a
predetermined amount of time to provide their answers. The purpose of this paper is to analyze
the use of words in the first Presidential debate between then President Barack Obama and the
former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. The debate was held at the University of Denver,
