A peek behind the podium
Presidential debates make for great political theater, a passable night of television viewing for even the most apathetic voter. But for the candidates, they’re the culmination of weeks of rhetorical blood, mental sweat, and, sometimes, literally tears. In other words, a group of veteran presidential preppers said at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Wednesday night, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney might be forgiven for betraying brief signs of fatigue or annoyance in that evening’s first presidential debate. “They go through the same frustrations that you or I might go through,” said Brett O’Donnell, an Institute of Politics (IOP) fellow and political strategist who has worked with Michele Bachmann, Romney, and other Republican presidential hopefuls. “We put them through a lot.” O’Donnell joined a trio of political and media insiders for “From Prep to the Podium,” a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into training candidates for the debates. The discussion led into a...