Politics: The Obama-Romney Debate: It?s a Tie

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Explainer The Obama-Romney Debate: It's a Tie A mini-Explainer on whether presidential candidates coordinate their neckwear. By Brian Palmer Posted Wednesday, Oct 17, 2012, at 09:21 PM ET Many astute Explainer readers have noticed that President Obama wore a blue tie in the first debate and a red tie in the second debate. Mitt Romney did the opposite, wearing a red tie in the first encounter and a blue tie in the second. Do the candidates communicate before the debate to make sure they're not wearing the same thing? No. It seems to be blind luck that Obama and Romney swapped tie colors in the first two debates. There is no record of wardrobe coordination between presidential campaigns, and the candidates don't see each other until they walk onto the stage. In fact, matching ties seem to be more the rule than the exception. Obama and John McCain both wore red ties in one of the 2008 debates, although McCain wore a light blue shirt instead of white. John Kerry and George W. Bush both went with dark suits, white shirts, and red ties in a 2004 debate. George W. Bush and Al Gore wore matching suits in 2000. Bill Clinton and Bob Dole went with different shades of red in 1996. Presidential candidates don't have particularly eclectic interests in neckwear, largely because they don't want their clothing to be the focus of post-debate chatter. The last time a candidate made a big deal about his tie was at the 1976 vice presidential debate, when advisors recommended that Bob Dole change his after a pre-debate screen test. Dole invited reporters to join him and ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Stop Talking About Small Business and Income Tax Rates! The Drones Are Coming to Libya Should You Go to the Drugstore for Your Flu Shots?	Advertisement
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