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staff:

LIVE-GIFFING THE 2012 DEBATES!

This Wednesday evening marks the first presidential debate for the 2012 American elections. Elevating the discourse as only Tumblr can, we’ll have a crack team of GIF artists cranking out instant animations of the best debate moments, from zingers to gaffes to awkward silences. Flooding the GIF zone will be our own Topherchris, as well as Bobby Finger, Lacey Micallef, and Mr. GIF. And joining us to further enhance our coverage will be Election blog guest editor Adam Gabbatt, whose liveblog at the Guardian will bring you the full stories behind the GIFs

The place to take it all in will be the purpose-built Gifwich live-GIFfing blog. Fair warning: Follow Gifwich at your own risk! After all, once each debate begins, your Dashboard could be flooded with animations on a minute-to-minute basis. Your mileage may vary, but if you prefer to just sample the flow, perhaps check out Gifwich directly during the debate and reblog your favorites piecemeal. You can even sample curated real-time selections from the Guardian’s liveblog or Tumblr’s official Election blog.

All debates (and our Gifwich GIF coverage) begin at 9pm Eastern Time:

• Wednesday, October 3 - Presidential debate on domestic policy
• Thursday, October 11 - Vice-presidential debate on foreign and domestic policy
• Tuesday, October 16 - Presidential town meeting on foreign and domestic policy
• Monday, October 22 - Presidential debate on foreign policy

Watch as tumblr live-gifs the debates. Hilarity ensues.