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Kerry Team Wants Debate Lecterns Free Of Timing Lights
AP ^ | 09/30/2004 | AP

Posted on 09/30/2004 10:10:14 AM PDT by rumrunner

DJ Kerry Team Wants Debate Lecterns Free Of Timing Lights

09/30/2004

Dow Jones News Services

(Copyright © 2004 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP)--Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign demanded Thursday that the lights signaling when a speaker's time has expired during debates with President George W. Bush be removed from the lecterns because they are distracting, but the commission hosting the debates refused.

An angry exchange between representatives of the Kerry campaign and the Commission on Presidential Debates took place just hours before the candidates were to meet at the University of Miami for the first of three debates, The Associated Press learned. Kerry's team threatened to remove the lights when they visit the debate site with the candidate later in the day.

"We'll bring a screwdriver," said a Kerry aide familiar with what several people called an angry exchange. The commission did not return a call seeking comment.

The commission placed the lights on the lecterns in clear view of the television audience and those in the auditorium. An agreement between the Kerry and Bush campaigns specified that timing lights "shall be placed such that they are visible to the debate audiences and television viewers."

However, Kerry's team contended that the agreement doesn't specifically say where the lights should be placed, and it said putting them on the lecterns creates a distraction. The Bush team pushed for the lights in negotiations with Kerry advisers.

The commission is a nonprofit and nonpartisan corporation that has sponsored all the presidential debates since 1988.


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: debate; flipflop; kerrylies
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1 posted on 09/30/2004 10:10:16 AM PDT by rumrunner
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To: rumrunner

Moderator, title is wrong
should be

"Kerry Team Wants Debate Lecterns Free Of Timing Lights"


2 posted on 09/30/2004 10:11:39 AM PDT by rumrunner
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To: rumrunner
Zoleta, Aredia

Baby Fish Mouth? Huh?

3 posted on 09/30/2004 10:12:01 AM PDT by Shryke (Never retreat. Never explain. Get it done and let them howl.)
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To: rumrunner
An agreement between the Kerry and Bush campaigns specified that timing lights "shall be placed such that they are visible to the debate audiences and television viewers."

He was for the lights before he was against them.

4 posted on 09/30/2004 10:15:51 AM PDT by ambrose (http://www.swiftvets.com)
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To: rumrunner
We'll bring a screwdriver," said a Kerry aide familiar with what several people called an angry exchange.

Are they stupid enough to leave them on the President's lectern?
Or are they stupid enough to remove them from his lectern as well?

Either way is pretty effin' stoopid.

5 posted on 09/30/2004 10:16:12 AM PDT by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: rumrunner

6 posted on 09/30/2004 10:16:46 AM PDT by HawaiianGecko (Member of the PajamaNati for 1/6th of a year)
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To: rumrunner

If the Senator's team wants to act little toddlers and bring in screwdrivers to mess with the debate set, let them - as long as the moderators explain before the debates begin why the Senator's podium is different from the President's.


7 posted on 09/30/2004 10:18:31 AM PDT by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
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To: rumrunner

Sounds like the arrogant, condescending, bloviating POS is concerned about his tendency to make a short story long. Too bad, pumpkin head, deal with it. Or is this a new flip-flop??


8 posted on 09/30/2004 10:19:03 AM PDT by datura (The DNC is America's wannabe politburo.)
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To: rumrunner

Fine. Cancel the debates because TeamKerry won't keep an agreement.


9 posted on 09/30/2004 10:19:32 AM PDT by af_vet_1981
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To: rumrunner

Nice of the Kerry camp to start trouble now.


10 posted on 09/30/2004 10:20:19 AM PDT by areafiftyone (Democrats = the hamster is dead but the wheel is still spinning)
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To: rumrunner

Of, for Ghu's sake, they both sound like a couple of spoiled rock stars demanding all sorts of special room service arrangments for a tour.


11 posted on 09/30/2004 10:21:26 AM PDT by steve-b (I put sentences together suspiciously well for a righty blogger.)
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To: rumrunner

12 posted on 09/30/2004 10:21:28 AM PDT by smith288 (The news media, sometimes I felt like I had as much to fear from them as I did the Iraqis -soldier)
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To: rumrunner
"We'll bring a screwdriver," said a Kerry aide familiar with what several people called an angry exchange.

Typical crybaby pussy leftists. Wah! We lost the negotiations so we'll just change things arbitrarily anyway.

You don't think that contract applies to ME, do you? Do you know who I AM?

13 posted on 09/30/2004 10:21:37 AM PDT by Petronski (DEMS: Kim tested, Osama approved.)
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To: rumrunner

They must have mocked these lights during debate prep and the Senator must have had some problem with them.

Wonder what that was?


14 posted on 09/30/2004 10:21:46 AM PDT by siunevada
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To: rumrunner

How about something like this?

15 posted on 09/30/2004 10:22:43 AM PDT by hispanarepublicana (Miss Free Republic High School-198?)
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To: rumrunner

I think that the moderators should switch off the mike when the candidate's time is up. That way no candidate will be able to take more than the allotted time.

Savage is very good with his mike switch. He is not very good with callers but they can only speak when he lets them.


16 posted on 09/30/2004 10:23:02 AM PDT by Rad_J
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To: ambrose

This is so cool.

It's because he is going to get cut off! Bush is concise; Kerry is verbose!

There was something else last night that he was upset about, too, but I can't remember what.

Stuff he had already agreed to!


17 posted on 09/30/2004 10:23:26 AM PDT by Howlin (What's the Font Spacing, Kenneth?)
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To: Izzy Dunne; ambrose
The dumbest part about this, as Izzy Dunne points out, is that they agreed to this, and now they don't agree to it.

It's another Flip Flop....on the day of the debate. What are they smoking over there?

18 posted on 09/30/2004 10:23:50 AM PDT by Petronski (DEMS: Kim tested, Osama approved.)
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To: rumrunner

Screwdrivers? are'nt they a tasty orange drink? I sense a theme here.


19 posted on 09/30/2004 10:23:52 AM PDT by linn37 (Have you hugged your Phlebotomist today?)
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To: rumrunner

This reminds me of a stickup artist demanding that the security cameras be removed because they're distracting him from his occupation. They know their candidate can't stick to the time limits so they're pre-planning an excuse for him when he runs over.

It's only a matter of time until we hear, "well I would have stayed within the limits but I didn't have any lights to warn me when I was about to run over".

These are the only people in the world who make every trip from point A to point B by passing through all 24 other points.


20 posted on 09/30/2004 10:23:56 AM PDT by ArmstedFragg
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