September 1 to 4

With the Democrats officially nominating Barack Obama at their end-of-August convention, it’s now the Republicans’ turn. The GOP convention opens in St. Paul, Minnesota, a traditionally blue state that John McCain will try to move into the red column. The Republicans hope to steal some of Obama’s inevitable post-convention boost in the polls with a rockin’ convention of their own.

September 13

Saturday Night Live premieres its thirty-fourth season. Over the years, no comedy show has had a greater impact on the public’s perception of the presidential candidates than SNL. In 2000, Daryl Hammond did such a spot-on job of impersonating Al Gore that Gore's staff made the vice-president watch the sketches so he could note his more annoying mannerisms. Many pundits believe Gore's subsequent subdued and lackluster debate performances were in response to the parodies.

September 26

First presidential debate, at the University of Mississippi in Oxford — one of the few opportunities to see the candidates “unscripted.” Some famous debate moments: Ronald Reagan, responding to a laundry list of attacks by opponent Jimmy Carter in 1980, “There you go again” (a winner with the audience, it even made Carter smile); President George H.W. Bush caught staring at his watch in the three-way debate with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot in 1992; Al Gore “invading” George Bush’s personal space in 2000.

October 2

Vice-presidential debate, Washington University, St. Louis. Common wisdom is that the vice-presidential candidates don’t really impact the election, and that seems to be true. Dan Quayle didn’t hurt George H.W. Bush in 1988, though he’s mostly remembered for being on the receiving end of the most famous one-liner in debate history: “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy” (courtesy of Lloyd Benston, Michael Dukakis’s running mate). Al Gore and Jack Kemp were applauded for having the “nicest” debate in history in 1996, while Dick Cheney and John Edwards were less than cordial in their 2004 face-off.

October 7

Second presidential debate, Belmont University, Nashville. The second of the three presidential debates is usually the Jan Brady of the lot: It doesn’t get as much attention as the first and last, and rarely makes an impact. Look for the candidates to course-correct their performance, following evaluations of the first debate, and overcompensate for their failings.

October 15

Final presidential debate, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York. Depend on the candidate who’s trailing to go for a knockout punch. The last debate usually has the most fireworks and the testiest exchanges of the three.

November 4

Election Day. After nearly two years of campaigning, billions of dollars spent, countless events, and an untold number of speeches, the polls open — as early as 6 a.m. in some places — and the American voters finally have their say.

For more on the upcoming election and all things presidential, go to www.nickragone.com.