This two-volume set examines recent presidential and vice presidential debates, addresses how citizens make sense of these events in new media, and considers whether the evolution of these forms of consumption is healthy for future presidential campaigns-and for democracy. * Examines research on presidential debates from 2004 to 2016, and considers how these debates-and elections-were affected by the changing media environment of each election season * Assesses the impact of U.S. citizens using social media to make sense of the campaign debates * Considers whether the established presidential debate format is no longer effective for informing voters in a time of unprecedented political polarization and voter cynicism * Applies different methods of analyzing the debates that will interest rhetorical scholars, argumentation scholars, and political communication scholars