The first in the nation Democratic Presidential debate will be held today in the Martin Luther King, Jr. auditorium on the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC.
Posted on 04/26/2007 6:54:41 AM PDT by upchuck
Debate day in Orangeburg
The first in the nation Democratic Presidential debate will be held today in the Martin Luther King, Jr. auditorium on the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC. |
Standing, from left, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson.
That is the order in which the candidates will stand during tonight's Democratic presidential debate.
With an elaborate backdrop of the American flag behind them, in the richest red, white and blue imaginable, the first-in-the nation presidential debate seemed more real than ever as NBC allowed a peak inside the guarded MLK Auditorium.
The news officials were in the midst of rehearsals during the early afternoon Wednesday, with students, dressed in their best business attire, posing as the candidates. Each went on stage and stood behind a podium, with pieces of paper hanging in front with the candidates last names written on them. The auditorium still smelled of fresh paint; there were cable lines and TV cameras everywhere. Some workers were suspended high above the stage, adjusting the lighting, while others manned cameras.
MLK has been transformed. Save a few odds and ends, the debate hall is ready.
Phil Alongi, NBC's executive producer, said the network jumped at the opportunity to do another debate in South Carolina.
"NBC Nightly News will broadcast adjacent to where I'm standing," he said, standing in front of the Donma Administration Building across from MLK. "Brian (Williams) will be the moderator; the debate will be 90 minutes long with no commercial interruptions. We are still identifying topics and questions and will probably be doing that until late tonight."
On campus, media -- whose numbers have increased to more than 600 -- have taken over. Satellite trucks entered the campus like a convoy; television stations have set up stages under tents across from MLK. One blasted cheesy '70s music. In the middle of campus, the Hardball stage sits high above the ground. By the looks of it, it will be as festive as it is a venue to discuss the debate.
Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and debate officials bragged about S.C. State and the Orangeburg community during a press conference and media scrambled to get equipment ready.
In the midst of it all, students roamed the campus, heading to class, going in and out of the Student Center for a bite to eat.
"There's a lot of activity, a lot of excitement going on on South Carolina State University's campus," said Dr. Andrew Hugine as media trucks roared behind him. Hugine has had his fair share of media exposure this week and will start Debate Day with an appearance on the Steve Harvey Morning show at 9:30 a.m. "This is history in the process of being made. In less than 30 hours, the eyes of the world will be on South Carolina State University, the City of Orangeburg and Orangeburg County."
Speaking on the phone, U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn spoke with pride about the debate coming to his alma mater. He reminisced about being a boy and coming to Orangeburg every other weekend with his father, who pastored the Church of God on Treadwell Street. It was then that he was first introduced to S.C. State. His hope, he said, is the exposure the debate brings will launch the university beyond events like the Orangeburg Massacre in 1968.
"For 35 years we have been trying to find various mechanisms to launch us beyond those circumstances," he said. "It is my hope that this debate will help us regain that morale that was there when I was a student there -- to showoff who and what we really are."
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin, who Clyburn peppered with compliments for bringing the debate to S.C. State, said Thursday will be a coming-out party for South Carolina.
"The path to the presidency goes right through Orangeburg, South Carolina," he said. "This is the epicenter of American politics. I believe the next president will be in MLK tomorrow."
Erwin said after learning the debate would be in South Carolina, he could have chosen to hold it in a place that would pay them a lot of money or provide infrastructure, but instead he wanted to do something historic.
"I promised (Clyburn) I would not make this a burden on the university (to have the debate there)," he said. "We wanted to leave S.C. State better than we found it. Thanks to a number of sponsors, this won't be a 21st century campus, it will be a 22nd century campus -- one of the most wired, high-phi, high-tech campuses in the state."
All 3,000 tickets to the Community Celebration Viewing and After Party were distributed rapidly and the more than 600 media expected are the most of any presidential debate in history, Erwin said.
"This place is ready to go," he said.
That explains the downturn in property values for that area.
Will Kucinich be asked about his plans to impeach Vheney? Will other Dems support it? Will anyone ask Obama about reparations?
FYI..MSNBC is doing an all day politics thingee...
No.
We’ll have to see.
No.
:-)
“The rats are coming” and bringing the plague with them.
Hopefully the RAT candidates will be in and out quickly enough that their plague (better known as Liberal Mental Disease or LMD for short) won't have time to settle in.
Who will be the first RAT to comment on the Confederate flag?
Steve Spurrier.
Can we get some Confederate flags flying down there before this thing gets started?
Great idea. I am 90 miles away and have to work this afternoon.
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