Pres. Debates To Be More Free Flowing!

Perknose

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Televised Debate Structure Agreed Upon

The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin on Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday.

Mr. Obama, shown in Florida on Friday, won an agreement for the first debates to be about foreign policy and national security.

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

The wrangling was chiefly between the McCain-Palin camp and the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which is sponsoring the forums.


Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges. Advisers to Mr. Biden say they were comfortable with either format.

[...]

McCain advisers said they were only somewhat concerned about Ms. Palin?s debating skills compared with those of Mr. Biden, who has served six terms in the Senate, or about his chances of tripping her up. Instead, they say, they wanted Ms. Palin to have opportunities to present Mr. McCain?s positions, rather than spending time talking about her experience or playing defense.

[...]

Indeed, both the McCain and Obama campaigns have similar concerns about the vice-presidential matchup in St. Louis: that Ms. Palin, of Alaska, as a new player in national politics, or Mr. Biden, of Delaware, as a loquacious and gaffe-prone speaker, could commit a momentum-changing misstep in their debate.

The negotiations for the three 90-minute debates between the men at the top of the tickets were largely free of brinksmanship. Neither side threatened to pull out, and concerns about camera angles and stagecraft were been minor.

[...]

Mr. Obama successfully sought to flip the proposed topics for the first and third debates, so foreign policy is now coming first and economic and other domestic issues come last. There is a second debate, in the format of a town hall meeting, in which the candidates will sit on director?s chairs and take questions from the audience and Internet users on any topic.

The debate commission had proposed that the first debate be on economic issues, and the third on foreign policy ? in part, people involved in the process said, because the first debate is usually the most watched, and many voters rank the economy as their top concern.

Mr. Obama wanted foreign policy first to show viewers that he could provide depth, strength and intelligence on those issues, his advisers said, given that Mr. McCain consistently wins higher ratings in opinion polls as a potential commander in chief.

Mr. Obama wanted domestic issues to come last; advisers said that they believed even before the start of the financial crisis that the election was most likely to turn on the state of the economy and that he wanted the final televised exchange to focus on those concerns. He has argued that Mr. McCain would continue the economic policies of President Bush.

Mr. McCain also wanted foreign policy topics to come first in the debates, his aides said, in the hope of capitalizing on his positive reputation on national security issues across party lines.

[...]

The debate formats were negotiated by Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, representing the McCain campaign, and Representative Rahm Emanuel, Democrat of Illinois, for the Obama camp. A handful of aides from both camps were also involved, hammering out issues between themselves and then holding conference calls with members of the commission to reach final agreements, people involved in the process said.

[...]

The campaigns had no say over the choice of moderators ? Jim Lehrer of PBS, Tom Brokaw of NBC and Bob Schieffer of CBS for the presidential debates, and Gwen Ifill of PBS for the vice-presidential debate.

[...]

Good news for all of us, that both campaigns have confidence in their Presidential candidates not to cripple with overly restrictive and overly protective "rules."

We will better be able to see how both fare in the heat of battle.

Bad news that the Repubs feel the need to shelter Palin from the rigors and more true give and take of a more genuine debate. Joe Biden will still wipe the floor with her, though, I predict . . . not that the partisan spin afterwards won't likely obscure this.
 

Dari

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Can't say I'm surprised after seeing her "interviews". I mean, going from softcore Charles Gibbons to Sean Hannity says a lot about her.
 

sonambulo

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$5 says McBane will flip his shit at the debates. He's just too testy to keep his cool.
 

TheBDB

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I hope the VP debate doesn't turn into big bad old white man Biden beating up on sweet innocent Palin. What I mean is, sure he has more experience and she is not a good speaker and she has remarkably stupid ideas, but the Republicans can spin it if Biden isn't careful.
 

Zedtom

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Indeed, both the McCain and Obama campaigns have similar concerns about the vice-presidential matchup in St. Louis: that Ms. Palin, of Alaska, as a new player in national politics, or Mr. Biden, of Delaware, as a loquacious and gaffe-prone speaker, could commit a momentum-changing misstep in their debate.

The McCain strategists are hoping that the focus of the debates will shift to this confrontation and overshadow the discussion of issues with the presidential contenders.
 

smashp

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maybe they should talk to Karl Rove about Getting Palin one of those magical Lumps on her Back
 

Pens1566

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Good news for everyone .... except McCain/Palin. Having her answer questions is going to be interesting.
 

Perknose

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Originally posted by: lupi
Would be better news if there were more debates.

Agreed. 5 Pres and 3 VP would be nice.

 

ProfJohn

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5 Pres would be nice.

But why do we need 3 VP debates? The VP debates are meaningless. All Palin has to do is sound halfway intelligent and she will have succeeded. I don't think the whole 'McCain is going to die' thing is going to change any votes and therefore she does not have to prove that she can be President tomorrow or next week.

Any word on the format for the VP debate? Are they sitting down at a table or being a podium. I think a table really helps Palin since she has a likablilty factor that Biden does not have.
 

Perknose

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Originally posted by: ProfJohn
5 Pres would be nice.

But why do we need 3 VP debates? The VP debates are meaningless. [1] All Palin has to do is sound halfway intelligent and she will have succeeded. [2] I don't think the whole 'McCain is going to die' thing is going to change any votes and therefore she does not have to prove that she can be President tomorrow or next week.

[3] Any word on the format for the VP debate? Are they sitting down at a table or being a podium. I think a table really helps Palin since she has a likablilty factor that Biden does not have.

[1] I don't share your abysmal and cynically low bar for "succeeding" to such a high office.

[2] Given McCain's age and personal history and family history, this is a keen concern of mine. She is startlingly unqualified for the job, imho.

[3] Dunno, but my guess is that it will be in the standard podium and lectern format.
 

SilthDraeth

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Originally posted by: Perknose

Indeed, both the McCain and Obama campaigns have similar concerns about the vice-presidential matchup in St. Louis: that Ms. Palin, of Alaska, as a new player in national politics, or Mr. Biden, of Delaware, as a loquacious and gaffe-prone speaker, could commit a momentum-changing misstep in their debate.

Not Arguing with anything you said, but you forgot to bold this part...

So both sides wanted to minimize the chances that their VP would screw it up big time.
 

Lemon law

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It might be nice to have seven Presidential debates with three of them decided by paint ball guns at 75 paces, but at the end of the day, we will get 3 Presidential debates and one VP debate.

Why ask the it ain't gonna happen questions?
 

smashp

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Originally posted by: Lemon law
It might be nice to have seven Presidential debates with three of them decided by paint ball guns at 75 paces, but at the end of the day, we will get 3 Presidential debates and one VP debate.

Why ask the it ain't gonna happen questions?

I think the Paint Ball format would probaly be accepted by the McCain Camp.....only for the VP debate though
 

Perknose

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Originally posted by: SilthDraeth
Originally posted by: Perknose

Indeed, both the McCain and Obama campaigns have similar concerns about the vice-presidential matchup in St. Louis: that Ms. Palin, of Alaska, as a new player in national politics, or Mr. Biden, of Delaware, as a loquacious and gaffe-prone speaker, could commit a momentum-changing misstep in their debate.

Not Arguing with anything you said, but you forgot to bold this part...

So both sides wanted to minimize the chances that their VP would screw it up big time.

No doubt that's true to some degree, but I also 'neglected' to bold this:

Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges. Advisers to Mr. Biden say they were comfortable with either format.

So, on balance, it seems, and rightly so, that the Dems would have been fine with taking their chances.


 

Pens1566

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Originally posted by: SilthDraeth
Originally posted by: Perknose

Indeed, both the McCain and Obama campaigns have similar concerns about the vice-presidential matchup in St. Louis: that Ms. Palin, of Alaska, as a new player in national politics, or Mr. Biden, of Delaware, as a loquacious and gaffe-prone speaker, could commit a momentum-changing misstep in their debate.

Not Arguing with anything you said, but you forgot to bold this part...

So both sides wanted to minimize the chances that their VP would screw it up big time.

And you seemed to have neglected this part :

The wrangling was chiefly between the McCain-Palin camp and the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which is sponsoring the forums.
 

SilthDraeth

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Originally posted by: Pens1566
Originally posted by: SilthDraeth
Originally posted by: Perknose

Indeed, both the McCain and Obama campaigns have similar concerns about the vice-presidential matchup in St. Louis: that Ms. Palin, of Alaska, as a new player in national politics, or Mr. Biden, of Delaware, as a loquacious and gaffe-prone speaker, could commit a momentum-changing misstep in their debate.

Not Arguing with anything you said, but you forgot to bold this part...

So both sides wanted to minimize the chances that their VP would screw it up big time.

And you seemed to have neglected this part :

The wrangling was chiefly between the McCain-Palin camp and the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which is sponsoring the forums.

No, I read that part, and it says chiefly. But both parties are ok with it. Biden has a way of saying stuff that will get him in trouble, no doubt that he is a smart guy, and good debater, but he has a history of saying the wrong things at the wrong time.
 

SilthDraeth

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Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: SilthDraeth
Originally posted by: Perknose

Indeed, both the McCain and Obama campaigns have similar concerns about the vice-presidential matchup in St. Louis: that Ms. Palin, of Alaska, as a new player in national politics, or Mr. Biden, of Delaware, as a loquacious and gaffe-prone speaker, could commit a momentum-changing misstep in their debate.

Not Arguing with anything you said, but you forgot to bold this part...

So both sides wanted to minimize the chances that their VP would screw it up big time.

No doubt that's true to some degree, but I also 'neglected' to bold this:

Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges. Advisers to Mr. Biden say they were comfortable with either format.

So, on balance, it seems, and rightly so, that the Dems would have been fine with taking their chances.

True true. Biden actually said earlier, though I don't have the quote on hand. He believed that if the debate where moved off topic (not saying that is what will happen) that he would probably lose the debate to her, but if he could keep the debate on topic, then he would do well.

I surely hope that the debate stays on topic. In the Biden vs Palin part of the campaign, Biden is the better choice for VP imho. Sure he isn't as Charismatic as Palin, but the VP shouldn't be like voting for Prom King and Queen.

McCain vs Obama I feel McCain is the better qualified, and Obama the more charismatic.


I said it before though, I doubt any real reform will come out of either candidate, it will most likely be small things that sound big on paper, but business as usual to those of us on the outside looking in. Only time will tell though, and we will only get to know the answer for one set of candidates.
 

Jhhnn

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Originally posted by: ProfJohn
5 Pres would be nice.

But why do we need 3 VP debates? The VP debates are meaningless. All Palin has to do is sound halfway intelligent and she will have succeeded. I don't think the whole 'McCain is going to die' thing is going to change any votes and therefore she does not have to prove that she can be President tomorrow or next week.

Any word on the format for the VP debate? Are they sitting down at a table or being a podium. I think a table really helps Palin since she has a likablilty factor that Biden does not have.

I take it you're attempting to accustom people to the idea that they really shouldn't expect much from Palin, so we should set the bar low, to help her look good...

Contrary to your assertions, it seems to me that she really does need to at least provide reasonable assurances that she could do the job as of Jan, 2009. McCain is very much at the average life expectancy for men of his generation, has a history of recurrent melanoma, not to mention that he was physically and constitutionally damaged years ago while a POW... Those are matters of fact rather than opinion, no matter how hard you'd like to spin them away...

Just because she can now spout the usual talking points w/o a teleprompter doesn't mean her cram course has actually prepared her to do any more than, well, spout the usual talking points...
 

ProfJohn

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Jul 28, 2006
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Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
5 Pres would be nice.

But why do we need 3 VP debates? The VP debates are meaningless. [1] All Palin has to do is sound halfway intelligent and she will have succeeded. [2] I don't think the whole 'McCain is going to die' thing is going to change any votes and therefore she does not have to prove that she can be President tomorrow or next week.

[3] Any word on the format for the VP debate? Are they sitting down at a table or being a podium. I think a table really helps Palin since she has a likablilty factor that Biden does not have.

[1] I don't share your abysmal and cynically low bar for "succeeding" to such a high office.

[2] Given McCain's age and personal history and family history, this is a keen concern of mine. She is startlingly unqualified for the job, imho.

[3] Dunno, but my guess is that it will be in the standard podium and lectern format.
Perk you weren't going to vote McCain to being with so your concern about number 2 is meaningless.

I think the only people worried about him dying are people who aren't voting for him anyway and are just looking for more reasons NOT to vote for him.
 

fskimospy

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Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
5 Pres would be nice.

But why do we need 3 VP debates? The VP debates are meaningless. [1] All Palin has to do is sound halfway intelligent and she will have succeeded. [2] I don't think the whole 'McCain is going to die' thing is going to change any votes and therefore she does not have to prove that she can be President tomorrow or next week.

[3] Any word on the format for the VP debate? Are they sitting down at a table or being a podium. I think a table really helps Palin since she has a likablilty factor that Biden does not have.

[1] I don't share your abysmal and cynically low bar for "succeeding" to such a high office.

[2] Given McCain's age and personal history and family history, this is a keen concern of mine. She is startlingly unqualified for the job, imho.

[3] Dunno, but my guess is that it will be in the standard podium and lectern format.
Perk you weren't going to vote McCain to being with so your concern about number 2 is meaningless.

I think the only people worried about him dying are people who aren't voting for him anyway and are just looking for more reasons NOT to vote for him.

Why is his concern meaningless? The guy still has a decent chance of running the country for the next several years no matter how he votes. If you aren't at least a little concerned for McCain's health, you are in denial. The guy has had melanoma that has recurred twice. Continually recurring melanoma is a VERY serious risk to your survival and should not be taken lightly. Then add onto that the fact that he's already very old and all the other potential complications.

So no, all rational people should be worried about him dying in office.

EDIT: I swear some people can't think of the consequences of their actions beyond winning an election like it's a game of baseball.
 

Perknose

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Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Originally posted by: Perknose
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
5 Pres would be nice.

But why do we need 3 VP debates? The VP debates are meaningless. [1] All Palin has to do is sound halfway intelligent and she will have succeeded. [2] I don't think the whole 'McCain is going to die' thing is going to change any votes and therefore she does not have to prove that she can be President tomorrow or next week.

[3] Any word on the format for the VP debate? Are they sitting down at a table or being a podium. I think a table really helps Palin since she has a likablilty factor that Biden does not have.

[1] I don't share your abysmal and cynically low bar for "succeeding" to such a high office.

[2] Given McCain's age and personal history and family history, this is a keen concern of mine. She is startlingly unqualified for the job, imho.

[3] Dunno, but my guess is that it will be in the standard podium and lectern format.
Perk you weren't going to vote McCain to being with so your concern about number 2 is meaningless.

I think the only people worried about him dying are people who aren't voting for him anyway and are just looking for more reasons NOT to vote for him.

Fuzzy logic, prof. It doesn't matter whom I am going to vote for, since McCain could well be elected President, I AM concerned that the woefully inexperienced and internationally ignorant Palin could become our Commander-In-Chief.

I'm worried about who her puppeteer would be. Eight more years of Cheyney or someone similar calling the shots from their bunker is the biggest single disaster I can think of . . . bigger even than John "The fundamentals of our economy are strong" McCain.

And I THINK that you who are going to vote for him should damn well be responsibly concerned about the same.

 

fskimospy

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Originally posted by: hellokeith
Shouldn't Obama debate Palin since he has the least experience of all the candidates?

Sure, so long as we're using experience as the only meaningful metric for measuring candidates. Thereby using this logic, we should immediately elect Dick Cheney as president as he is one of the most experienced people in Washington.

Luckily, we aren't retarded.