Posted on 09/19/2004 8:03:49 PM PDT by blogblogginaway
The campaigns of President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry have tentatively settled on a package of three face-to-face debates that both sides view as a potentially decisive chance to sway huge audiences ahead of the Nov. 2 election, Democrats and Republicans said yesterday.
Bush's campaign, which opened the negotiations by urging just two sessions involving Bush and Kerry, yielded to the full slate of debates that had been proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates, according to people in both parties who were briefed on the negotiations.
No agreement will be final until the two sides agree on details for the format of a town-meeting-style debate that Bush at first resisted but now is willing to endorse, the party representatives said.
The debates will be spread over two weeks just before the hectic homestretch of a bitter contest that had been tied for months until Bush recently opened a small lead in a number of national polls. The nominees will focus on foreign policy during the opening session, on Sept. 30 in Florida; they will take questions from undecided voters at the town-meeting-style debate Oct. 8 in Missouri; and they will conclude with a session on Oct. 13 in Arizona that will revolve around domestic issues.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
DU people are clammoring for 1 'town hall' style. I suppose that's a bad thing if they want it.
DU people are clammoring for 1 'town hall' style. I suppose that's a bad thing if they want it.
JMHO...Kerry will be so nervous he'll be sweating buckets like at the DNC acceptance speech.
They keep saying Kerry is an excellent debater...maybe so, I've never seen him debate...but he's an awful communicator!
People need direct answers to feel confident that a candidate has command of a situation. Kerry never met a "run on sentence" that he didn't like!
Kerry will know the pressure's on and he'll be nervous. Remember this is the guy who hasn't talked to the press in over a month. Bush, on the other hand, has experience in going into the lion's den, i.e. televised press conferences where every reporter is out to "get you."
Has anybody seen any interview with Kerry where he has been asked "hard" questions? Why does he chose to go on Dr. Phil, Jon Stewart and other entertainment type shows and call them interviews.
Get the popcorn ready...the debates will be great entertainment (and I thought Algore was entertaining).
My preference in principle is for long debates on the radio, with the microphone controlled by a chess timer and otherwise unmoderated. There is no reason for prohibition of the use of notes (or even personal computers) for memory aids.
Questioners can change the subject when their boy gets in trouble, and I don't know why we-the-people need them. And in truth the candidates tend to evade the questions and slide over to their prepared talking points anyway.
Unmoderated radio debates could be conducted without bringing the candidates to the same venue, and notes could obviate the need for heavy preparation.
Hogwash. They haven't settled on anything, officially. Their will be two debates. No townhall debate.
OH GOOD GOSH. THERE, not "Their"!
You're quick on your feet, brother!
I remember when Gore and Bush were taking questions from the crowd -- I think that was the town hall style -- and some guy asked about agriculture, and Gore prefaced his answer by saying "Now I'm sure this won't mean anything to most of you, because you aren't familiar with this issue like I am, but we're going to talk about something very important ...."
He thought it made him sound knowledgeable but he just came off looking like a smarmy prck.
I'm surprised the dems would want a "townhall" style. Bush seems to do so well in that format. While I don't think Kerry does .. he lectures too much .. points his finger at people - which is condscending.
Actually, I think the President will do just fine. Everybody body thought Gore would wipe the floor with him, and it turned out to be the exact opposite.
Your a legend here, and I know you take errors like that as an insult.
It's the free lunch crowd that always shows up for those. Remember the pony tail guy?
DU people are clammoring for 1 'town hall' style. I suppose that's a bad thing if they want it.
---
Its because they are so full of BS and buzz words they know how to infiltrate one. I expect at least 2 protest per debate. Maybe more with the town hall style.
I hope it backfires on the protesters.
The townhall audience will be skewed to the advantage of the democrats.
It is also a fact that senators make poor presidential candidates; Kennedy did it when running against Nixon, but Nixon had no executive experience either. And Nixon did it against Humphrey - but Humphrey was also a senator/VP.
I just hope that Rove preps his man the right way, and not excessively.
Well, let me tell you a story about another Legend...
Taglines are for reading, dude.
Bush is ahead. He has nothing to gain from the debates.
Why on earth did his people allow to be browbeaten by the Kerry people into 3 debates? Bush always wanted to limit it to 2 debates, Kerry wanted three, because it gives Kerry more face time on TV and more chance to knock Bush.
Bush is also kind of busy running the country.
And what is this nonsense townhall style debate?
"No agreement will be final until the two sides agree on details for the format of a town-meeting-style debate that Bush at first resisted but now is willing to endorse, the party representatives said."
I hope the Bush people will NOT agree to that.
This is the kind of thing, where the Dems have their people asked obnoxious questions.
Hotels are for sleeping, buddy.
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