questions with empathy and understanding and also demonstrating what he has done to improve things in the last four years. He also needs to correct Romney's lies--and we know he will continue to tell whoppers. Town Halls can be tough because you're dealing with real voters asking the questions rather than a member of the press who is moderating and asking all the questions. With them you can speak over them and try and direct the answer to something else you want to discuss. With Town Hall you must address the concern of the questioner or they will be pissed off.

however, I understand that 1. the moderator is a right wing dingbat and 2. she gets to pick the questions, so is likely to pick questions that she thinks will help Romney and/or hurt Pres Obama.

So I'm hopeful that Obama will be primed to deliver this time around. Also hoping that after Romney's coked up performance in the last debate, they'll swing to not enough drugs out of fear he'll scare the audience and that under-drugged, he'll end up in some sort of zombie state.

President Obama has a much easier time relating to people, mostly because he's been personally where most people have been at some point in his life. A format in which he gets to interact with real people/voters should do well for him. It won't afford him an opportunity to lay the smackdown on Romney that he didn't do in the previous debate but him being able to connect with real people/voters and make a case for his policies will probably be more effective in the long run anyway.

I would say the format could both help and hurt the president. It is harder to tear into your opponent and call them out, but it also is an opening to be more personable. A town hall is a bit of a wild card since there is a better chance of a real nasty curveball question for either candidate. People will sometimes ask a question a moderator wouldn't touch.

Definite opportunity for her to slant the debate.