The New York Times: Patriot Game [Video]

The Republican and Democratic nominating conventions are over and the race for the general election is under way in earnest.

Though it's difficult to measure the influence, if any, the conventions have over the average voter, one thing is sure: each party considers its own convention a crucial opportunity for its nominee to score points against his opponent. To score these points, the presidential candidate must rhetorically brandish as many positive platitudes as possible: (1) Generalized promises about the rosy future of America are recommended, but not without (2) a healthy dose of reassurance that the candidate believes in the America of today. Also necessary is (3) some mention of national unity and (4) homage to the indomitable spirit of our people. (5) Optional empathy anecdotes for bonus points.

Sometimes these stringent scorekeeping rules result in eerily similar speeches from both sides of the political arena. It can be tough to tell who loves America the most. To help the novice political spectator more easily follow the score of Obama vs. Romney, we've tracked it for you in this video Op-Doc, using state-of-the-art video gaming technology. And music. Though we can't yet know who will win in November, we hope this Op-Doc provides you with some insight into how the game is played.

The Gregory Brothers, which includes Swarthmore graduates Evan '01 and Andrew '04, are best-known for their YouTube music video mash-ups like "Auto-Tune the News."