Deep Dive: Town hall debates

>>> well, it may seem time-honored these days but realize the televised town hall is younger than lindsay lohan ? tonight will be the sixth of its kind. we look at the highs and lows of the first five. may not surprise to discover you the idea was hatched in 1992 by bill clinton who thrived in town hall meetings on the campaign tray. the incumbent president, george h. w. bush , was initially against it and the results showed he had good reason to be nervous. check out president bush and bill clinton answering the exact same question, provides a clear example of the right waned the wrong way to handle it. first thing to remember, don't check your watch while the question is being asked.

>> how has the national debt personally affected each of your lives?

>> if the question -- if -- maybe i will get it wrong, are you suggesting that if somebody has means that the national debt doesn't affect them?

>> well, what i'm saying --

>> not sure i get t help me with the question, i will try to answer it.

>> you know people who have lost their jobs and lost their homes?

>> uh-huh.

>> well, i have been governor of a small state for 12 years. i will tell you how to has affected me. in my state, when people lose their jobs there's a good chance i will know them by their names. when a factory closes, i know the people who ran t when the business goes brurngts i know them.

>> four years later, bob dole tried to slam president clinton for ethical lapses, hammering him on the character issue. but instead of fighting back directly, clinton refused to take the bait, eliminating any chance for fireworks at the town hall setting.

>> there's no doubt about it that many american people have lost their faith in government. they see scan dams almost on a daily basis. they see ethical problems in the white house today.

>> could i answer a lot of these things tat for tat, but i hope we can talk about what we are going to do in the future. no attack ever created a job or educated a child or helped a family make ends meet.

>> the luxury of being ahead at your town hall and being the incumbent. in 2000 , it was vice president gore's body lang than got him in trouble when he famously invaded george w. bush 's personal space , a moment that highlighted, or lowlighted, maybe gore's awkwardness.

>> not only what's your philosophy and your position on issues but can you get things done? and i believe i can.

>> rob portman , by the way, played gore in those debates and rob portman did that during the practice session. he noticed that little tell of gore's during previous debates. of course, these kinds of debates can also give candidates an opportunity to try to address their weaknesses with voters n 2004 , the challenge for john kerry was to count earth republican attack line that he was a flip-flopper, that kept changing his positions. he got that chance with the very first question but president bush was ready to pound him on the issue anyway.

>> i asked the ones who said they were not voting for you why. they said that you were too wish wishy washy. do you have any response to that?

>> the president didn't find weapons of mass destruction in he iraq, so he has really turned his campaign into a weapon of mass deception and the the result is that you have been bombarded with advertisement suggesting that i've changed a position on this or that or the other o.

>> i can see why people at your workplace think he changes positions a lot, 'cause he does. tonight, president obama 's biggest challenge seems to be to show fire and aggressiveness, as you show president bush there, that his supporters come to expect, but without crossing whatever this line is that people expect at a town hall on how aggressive you can get. the 2008 town hall , he showed he could throw a punch as he did when he challenged -- when he was challenged over his lack of experience.

>> senator mccain suggests that somehow, you know, i'm green behind the ears and i just spougt off and he's somber and responsible.

>> thank you very much.

>> senator mccain this is the guy who sang bomb iran," who called for the annihilation of north core reyeah that, i don't think, is an example of speaking softly.

>> i hope this reminds you, by the way, there is interesting ex-chances in the town hall format. somehow we think you can't be aggressive in a town hall format. we showed you examples where candidates did try to do and