Posted on 06/17/2004 4:25:32 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The commission organizing the U.S. presidential campaign debates on Thursday defended its decision to set conditions for participation that are likely to exclude independent candidate Ralph Nader (news - web sites).
Presenting its format for the three proposed presidential debates, as well as one vice presidential debate, the commission said candidates could only be included if they had a chance of winning the presidency and had at least 15 percent support in the electorate in the polls.
Nader, seen as potentially drawing votes from Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites), has poll support that's only in the low to mid single digits.
"We have no apologies to make," said commission co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf, a former chairman of the Republican party. "It's been a prudent and thoughtful exercise."
"We believe the 15 percent criterion is a fair and balanced number," added Paul Kirk, the other co-chair, who once headed the Democratic party.
Participation in debates and the publicity it brings has always been a major issue with third party candidates. Ross Perot (news - web sites) was included when he ran on a third party ticket in 1992 but Nader, who ran as the Green Party candidate in 2000, was not.
"This is a debate commission funded by corporate interests and controlled by the two major parties," said Kevin Zeese, a Nader spokesman. "The standards seem intentionally designed to keep out alternative voices."
Zeese said the commission should include any candidate who is on enough state ballots to have a mathematical shot at winning the presidency.
The proposed dates for the debates had been announced before but the Commission on Presidential Debates added more details on Thursday. The final details still need approval by the campaigns for Kerry and Republican President Bush (news - web sites).
The commission said all debates would run 90 minutes, start at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and be carried live on national television.
Other details announced by the commission included:
-- The first presidential debate would be held Sept. 30 at the University of Miami at Coral Gables, Florida. The candidates will be seated at a table with a moderator and the topic will be domestic policy.
-- The single vice presidential debate would be held Oct. 5 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland with the format the same as the presidential debate except that there would be no single topic.
-- The second presidential debate would be held Oct. 8 at Washington University in St. Louis and conducted in a town hall-style format, with the candidates answering questions from undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.
-- The third and final presidential debate would be held Oct. 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. The format would be similar to the first debate except the questions would be limited to foreign policy.
(Pres.) - Sept. 30 at the University of Miami at Coral Gables, Florida.
(Vice Pres.) - Oct. 5 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
(Pres.) - Oct. 8 at Washington University in St. Louis.
(Pres.) - Oct. 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
Of course, the rule was you need to poll 10% of the vote at one time. Is it the same or are they attempting to lower that standard?
Battleground states. Probably a mistake for Kerry to have the last one at Pat Tillman's alma mater.
Oh, come on, be fair. Let him in.
It's only right.
Nadler! Nadler! Nadler!
/Ironic sarcasm
Too bad. Nader is more entertaining than bore-robot Kerry. Perhaps he's as wacked out as big John, but certainly more animated.
I wish they'd let Nader in. He wouldn't take many Bush votes, but he might make a nice little dent in Kerry :)
I was hoping for a debate format where the candidates are given a chance to directly question each other. I somehow doubt the moderators will ask John Flip-Flopping Kerry where he really stands on an issue.
I disapprove of 3 debates. Two maximum. Why is Bush letting some independent commission decide this. It should be negotiated with Kerry's people, not decided by people uninvolved in the campaigns.
Oh great, liberal Gallup will provide all the "undecided voters" who just happen to ask questions like:
"Isn't the Bush administration a failure?"
"Doesn't John Kerry deserve a chance to fix the Bush administration failures?"
Don't be surprised when these "undecided voters" ask loaded questions only a Michael Moore fanatic liberal could invent.
Nader's views are irrelevant to our times. The 60s have come and gone.
That's too bad. SOMEBODY there should provide a slashing counterpunch to Kerry. For sure, Bush will be the mannered and civil debater, while Kerry will simply get bolder and ever more rude through the course of the questions, answers, and rebuttals, interrupting and injecting disingenuous statements.
Kerry is already at a serious disadvantage - he does not respect Bush's intelligence. Should Nader be in the debate, Kerry would find himself third among three as far as smarts and access to debating points to support his positions.
Kerry forgets, that Bush has three and a half years more experience as President than Kerry.
Haven't we really had enough of the pony-tailed Assholes from Richmond who are looking for a father to take care of them?
Why in the hell should we care about idiots who, less than one month before the election, are "undecided"? What is it with these idiots? What are they looking for?
Bush would do well to follow the lead of Ronald Reagan. Reagan wanted to include 3rd party candidate John Anderson as a matter of fairness in 1980. Carter refused. So Reagan, Anderson and an empty chair had a debate. Reagan came across as magnanimous, which he was. Anderson had his face time and gracefully made no fuss about the subsequent Reagan-Carter debates, where Carter's clock was cleaned. Anderson's face time drew just enough votes from Carter that Reagan carried even Liberal states like Massachusetts and Maine.
I really, really, really miss Dean.
Now THAT would have been entertainment!
We want Ralph! We want Ralph!
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