Tag: Des Moines Register

Liveblog of Democratic DMR Debate

By Ross Smith 12/13/2007 01:57:19 PM EST

Join me in the comments as I register my reactions to and chronicle today's Democratic primary debate sponsored by the Des Moines Register.

Just click on "Discuss" . . .

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Tags: debate, debates, liveblog, Des Moines Register, democratic presidential primary

Des Moines Register Debates Round Two Preview: Democrats

By Ross Smith 12/13/2007 10:46:28 AM EST

After getting our hopes up and having them dashed yesterday, it's tough to preview today's Democratic version of yesterday's disaster. Since most of the blame lies with the moderator and the format, today's Des Moines Register debate might not be much better, but a few factors offer hope.

First, there are three fewer candidates, and no Alan Keyes. Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are the debaters. Dennis Kucinich did not meet the sponsor's criteria and complained with a press release, but his grounds for complaint are weak as Jason Zengerle explains.

Fewer candidates could mean longer time given to each answer, more follow ups, and/or more total questions. If the last is the adaptation, the debate will be no better than yesterday's.

Second, the moderator and her employers surely cannot have escaped the stinging and nearly unanimous rebuke of those who watched or participated. Maybe, just maybe, some crow will be eaten and the format and moderation will be improved.

Third, the candidates can learn from yesterday. They might run roughshod over the moderator knowing the media is sympathetic. They can exploit the rules to attack without naming names and to demand answers. They can "frontload" their sound bites to adapt to the very short response times. They can question the question, question the premise, and use "go backs" (go back to an earlier issue after being very brief in reply to a current one).

On the other hand, the poor format and weak moderator also allow candidates to avoid debating if they choose. They might bet on little follow up and not name names so as not to elicit a rebuttal. This afternoon we'll hear a debate if the Democrats want one and the moderator allows it.

To see for yourself at 2pm EST:
Tune in to Iowa Public Television, CNN, C-SPAN3, Fox News Channel, C-SPAN Radio or Fox News Radio.
You can also watch via the web at C-SPAN 3 or at the Des Moines Register website

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Tags: debate, debates, democratic presidential primary, Des Moines Register, preview, Iowa

Worst Debate in DebateScoop History?

By Ross Smith 12/13/2007 01:26:01 AM EST

Update [2007-12-13 12:56:14 by Ross Smith]: Lest you think we exaggerate, I just found this:

Charles Krauthammer: "That was not just the worst debate of 2007, that was the worst debate in western history, and that includes the ancient Greeks" ("Sprecial Report," FNC, 12/12).

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My last liveblog comment was, "Awful. Just Awful." Steve called the debate "Less Than Earthshaking."

But DebateScoop's criticism was muted compared to that elsewhere. The extremely harsh reactions might be due to the fact that the expectations and stakes were high. These debates are, after all, the last debates before the Iowa caucuses, races in both parties are up for grabs, and the results may well determine who the next President of the United States is.

Whatever the reason, this debate had the worst reviews of any we have seen since DebateScoop was founded in August of 2006.

The first problem was that this event had too little give and take to merit being called a debate. Even the Des Moines Register's David Yepsin did not spare his own colleagues on that score:

"The biggest problem with the debate was that it wasn't really a debate. Candidates got almost no opportunity to grill one another. Often they ran out of time and were cut off just as they started to probe an opponent.
The event would have been more nourishing had the format allowed for more back-and-forth."

Dean Barnett of the Weekly Standard is not as measured as the home town colleague:

I'm sure there are people in Iowa who could capably moderate a presidential debate. Unfortunately, and obviously, Carolyn Washburn is not one of them.
The bulk of the post-debate analysis will probably focus on how maladroit Washburn was at the job. She did the impossible--she moderated the last Iowa debate between the Republican candidates before caucuses and yet saw to it that none of the candidates engaged each other. In other words, the moderator ensured that the debate would be as lively as a 12 part PBS series on "How Grass Grows."
A personal aside to the Des Moines Register--"boring" is not synonymous with "serious."
The problems went beyond Washburn's lack of mad moderating skillz. From the outset, Washburn announced that the candidates would not be discussing either Iraq or immigration. Swell! It's the biggest debate of the season, so let's take the two biggest issues off the table. For what it's worth, Washburn brought all the charm to her assignment of a latter-day Nurse Ratched.

Whether from left, right or center, from blogger or mainstream journalist, the reactions to the format, moderator, questions, and resultant "debate" tended to be closer to Barnett's than to Yepsin's. "Highlights" are in the extended entry.

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Tags: debate, debates, Iowa, Des Moines Register, moderators, republican presidential primary, elections 2008, round up

High Stakes: D(ebate) Days Are Here in Iowa

By Ross Smith 12/12/2007 12:19:13 PM EST

Update [2007-12-12 13:45:3 by Ross Smith]: Actually two updates. One, look in the space just below this post for the liveblog of today's debate. Two, The New York Times Magazine piece on Huckabee (originally scheduled for Sunday) in which he "innocently" asked about Mormons and Satan is now up.

Today and tomorrow at 1 pm CST debates with potentially "seismic impact" will be held for the presidential contenders, the Republicans today and the Democrats tomorrow. Even if the Des Moines Register's "seismic" overstates the impact of the debates they are hosting, as the last debates before the fast approaching holidays and the January 3 Iowa caucus these primary debates do have added importance, especially in the context of the fact that neither party now has a clear front runner for the nomination.

AP provides the basic details:

Sponsored by Iowa Public Television and The Des Moines Register, the two debates will be held in Johnston, Iowa, and broadcast live at 2 p.m. EST on Iowa Public Television, CNN, C-SPAN3, Fox News Channel, C-SPAN Radio and Fox News Radio.

You can also watch via the web at C-SPAN 3 or at the Des Moines Register website.

Even though it's an afternoon debate, there will be rebroadcasts and over 200 news organizations are covering the debates, so the "earned media" effect should be huge.

The leading narrative for today's debate is that there is now be a target on Huckabee's back as he has taken the lead in Iowa and is rapidly surging nationally. Read below the fold for more details about the format, participants, and expected dynamic of today's debate. I'll have a preview focused on the Democrats tomorrow.

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Tags: debate, debates, Des Moines Register, Iowa, presidential primary, elections 2008