Politics As Usual — 10.1.12

We're now in the thick of the election season. The ads are unavoidable. The candidates are unavoidable, too.

For political junkies the week offers an embarrassment of riches.

Joseph Kennedy III and Sean Bielat faced off yesterday. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Scott Brown meet for the second time tonight at UMass Lowell. And Wednesday night, on the biggest stage of them all, Mitt Romney and Pres. Obama square off for the first of their three high-wire battles.

Kara Miller talks to Professors James Kloppenberg and Dan Kryder about what's at stake, who stands to gain the most ground, and whether debates really matter in the election.

• James Kloppenberg, professor of American history at Harvard University. He's the author of Reading Obama: Dreams, Hope and the American Political Tradition.
• Dan Kryder, associate professor of politics at Brandeis University.