Deference

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
Deference
8
Sat, 09-20-2008 - 11:50pm

The vice presidential debate will be conducted in a simpler format in deference to Palin.   My thought is that this stacks the deck against Biden as he is known to be verbose (to say the least).  He's not skilled in reciting talking points and simplifying ideas down to single sentences.  I think this also speaks of Palin's readiness that she has problems with the type of format that Obama and McCain will be using:


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/us/politics/21debate.html?_r=3&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1221944424-M80ol3HyyXHv4YOA0dtK0w&oref=slogin&oref=slogin


September 21, 2008



Pact on Debates Will Let McCain and Obama Spar


The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin 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.


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.


Both campaigns see the four debates as pivotal moments in a presidential race that is not only extraordinarily close but also drawing intense interest from voters; roughly 40 million viewers watched the major speeches at the two parties’ conventions. The upheaval in the financial markets has recast the race in recent days, moreover, which both sides believe will only heighten attention for the debates.


A commission member said that the new agreement on the vice-presidential debate was reached late Saturday morning. It calls for shorter blocks of candidate statements and open discussion than at the presidential debates.


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.


While the debates between presidential nominees are traditionally the main events in the fall election season, the public interest in Ms. Palin has proved extraordinary, and a large audience is expected for her national debate debut.


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 minor.


Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the Democratic nominee for president, and Mr. McCain did not intercede personally to settle any disputes. They agreed to one substantive change to the format originally proposed by the debate commission, giving them two minutes apiece to make a statement at the beginning of each segment on a new topic.


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.


He wanted limits on the original format for the first and third debates, which had been nine topics with nine minutes of free-flowing debate on each one. Mr. Obama went along, though his aides did insist that at least several minutes of open-ended debate occur in each block of questioning, because they believe he does well in that format.


Now the candidates will be asked a question, each will give an answer of two minutes or less, and then they will mix it up for five additional minutes before moving on to the next question in the same format.


Obama aides also agreed to use lecterns at the first event, which Mr. McCain preferred; at the third debate, the two men will be seated at a round table, in the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions, with the moderator at 6 o’clock.


McCain aides said that they were conscious of the fact that Mr. McCain has a prominent scar on one side of his face, and that they could not predict how prominent it would appear with the camera angles, lighting and make-up.


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.>>>full article at the link above

Sopal


Sopal

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
In reply to: sopall1953
Sat, 09-20-2008 - 11:58pm

She wanted to play in the majors, she should have to play by major league rules.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2007
In reply to: sopall1953
Sun, 09-21-2008 - 12:16am

Well you know, she's a woman.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
In reply to: sopall1953
Sun, 09-21-2008 - 12:41am

Yeah..."she's a woman."

Sopal

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2007
In reply to: sopall1953
Sun, 09-21-2008 - 12:52am
I agree that it's ridiculous, but the Republicans will throw a hissy fit if they don't get their way. Hell, they can't win in a fair debate. We all know that. So, it's only fair that we handicap them and give them a chance.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
In reply to: sopall1953
Sun, 09-21-2008 - 1:06am

<Hell, they can't win in a fair debate.>


Sopal

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2007
In reply to: sopall1953
Sun, 09-21-2008 - 1:16am
You're probably right. I'm not exactly overjoyed with Obama, but he's light years ahead of McCain in terms of common sense. It will be a close election, unbelievably. We'll have to see how it plays out.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2007
In reply to: sopall1953
Sun, 09-21-2008 - 1:31am
I'm feeling that queasy "doomed" feeling too...especially this week.

Sopal

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2007
In reply to: sopall1953
Sun, 09-21-2008 - 1:51am
McCain or