The first important characteristic Ben-Porath describes is question frequency. In primary debates, no rule exists that the candidates all have to receive the same number of questions.  Therefore, some candidates may be asked many questions, giving them a large amount of time to explain their positions and appeal to voters.  However, some may not be asked as many questions, thus limiting their potential campaigning time.  This trend gives a theoretical advantage to the candidates that get to talk more because they have a bigger opportunity to reach out to the voting public.

The second characteristic is tone. Tone refers to the manner in which the question is asked.  Questions can be asked in a positive tone, which adds credibility to the candidate because it allows the candidate to answer the question poetically without being put on the defensive.  Conversely, questions asked with a negative tone raise doubts about the candidate's position that must be responded to, taking time away from the articulation of the candidate's policy.  Tone can also greatly affect the way the audience perceives a candidate.  Questions with a positive tone prompt audiences to listen with less skepticism to the candidate's answer.  Questions with a negative tone cause the audience to be immediately more suspicious of the candidate's response.

The third characteristic of questions that affects how they are answered and perceived is content.  The content of the question, according to Ben Porath, can focus on one of four aspects of the candidate's life: the candidate's stance on a specific issue, the candidate's personal attributes, the candidate's electability, and the candidate's campaign strategy. Questions can shape the candidate's response by targeting a very specific aspect of the candidate's position. In this way, the questions asked in the primary debates define exactly how the candidates can tell their stories to the American public.

In addition to simple question structure, there are also other interesting aspects of the YouTube debate to consider. The YouTube debate allows the general public, rather than the media, ask direct questions of the candidates, distinguishing this GOP primary debate from other GOP primary debates. As a result, this debate provides an interesting case study that can be used to compare the questions the general public asks to the questions that the media generally asks.

Studies have demonstrated differences in the way reporters and voters ask questions of the candidates.  Eveland and McLeod, in their piece, "Reporters vs. Undecided Voters" (Communication Quarterly, 42, 390-406, 1994), conclude that the media is more aggressive and argumentative in their questions than general voters. The media often frames the question in order to promote a popular story line or to aggressively stand up to a candidate by bringing up a contentious issue. As a result, the media is likely to ask more targeting questions that either clarify a specific point or bring up a very specific issue that may be hard for the candidate to talk about. Rather than targeting specific aspects of policy, undecided voters are more likely to ask open ended questions about the issues and about how the candidate plans to address a certain problem.

Additionally, the YouTube debate allows citizens to get answers to the questions that they really care about.  The media is not always effective at questioning candidates on issues of core importance to the voting public. Benoit and Hansen, in their work "Presidential Debate Questions and the Public Agenda" (Communication Quarterly, 49, 130-141, 2001), conclude from their empirical study that the media is getting worse at asking about the issues the public is truly concerned about. Perhaps tonight's debate is an opportunity for candidates to speak on important election issues that have been overlooked by the media.

The way people ask questions of the presidential hopefuls certainly affects the issues on which the candidates speak and how the candidates are able to speak about them. Understanding the politics behind these questions is essential to fully understand the impact of debate questions on the election more generally.  As the debate takes place tonight, keep the characteristics of questions in mind and try to determine how the presentation of each question controls the response of the candidate and the reaction of the public to that candidate.