Tag: GOP
Des Moines GOP Debate Less Than Earthshaking
I suppose to some extent it's inevitable that a 1.5 hour debate with 9 participants won't get to much in the way of substance.
[Was there a reason this debate couldn't have been 2-hours long as several others have been this season? Was there a reason it ended 6 minutes early?]
That having been said, I agree completely with Ross that choices in format and questioning made the situation far worse than it needed to be. The result was a very disappointing outcome for a debate that was supposed to be "seismic" in its potential to alter the course of the Iowa caucus.
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: GOP, Iowa, Debate
Whose Tube?
Writing after the Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960, historian Henry Steele Commager lamented that televised debates "submit the greatest elective office in the world to the chances of arbitrary and miscellaneous questions put forward not to elicit information or to illuminate problems, but to provide sensations." Commager, of course, was bemoaning the tendencies of reporter panelists to use a television debate not to enlighten voters on important topics but to produce headlines or make journalistic capital. Yesterday's Republican You Tube Debate certainly did little to demonstrate that questions from "real people" are any less vulnerable to those urges. With an array of potentially provocative questions at their disposal, journalists apparently gain new license for putting candidates on the spot and for testing who's glib under fire.
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: debate, debates, youtube, GOP, questions, debate formats
Guns 3, Energy, Iran and Health Care 0
Yes, this was a Republican primary debate.
But zero questions on what are three of the top five issues in the polls?
Republican voters do not care about these issues?
There are no differences among the candidates on these issues?
There is less daylight between candidates on these issues than on guns?
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: debate, debates, youtube, GOP, questions
A YouTube Difference: What We (Probably) Won't Hear
Unless Anderson Cooper or one of the candidates wedges them into the debate as a segue or follow up, we probably will not hear questions about the breaking news of questionable travel expenses using tax money to help Rudy conduct adulterous visits, news that broke just hours ago at Politico.
CNN can discuss little else in the hour leading up to the debate and their reporters say that's the main buzz they are discussing.
But the questions were submitted by citizens who knew none of this. In fact, most of the questions will also pre-date the tiff between Rudy and Romney about Romney's crime record as Massachusetts governor as well as questions about Romney's having ruled out inclusion of Muslims in his cabinet.
These are the kinds of questions journalist questioners would love to raise. But they also do not make for very good debate. What facts and arguments could be brought, really?
And if they are raised, might Huckabee's questionable ethics record also become an issue?
My guess is that tonight's debate will stick to broader themes of experience and policy, the kinds of questions citizens tend to favor. The format has a certain rigidity that does not lend itself to last minute improvisation.
If not, the CNN crew must be hard at work picking out some last minute YouTube questions that would serve as good springboards to the questions the media really wants answered.
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: debate, debates, youtube, questions, formats, GOP, republican presidential primary
Preview of Previews of the GOP YouTube Debate
To get ready for tonight's GOP CNN/YouTube presidential primary debate (8pm EST on CNN and streamed at CNN.com) I read the blogs and the papers so you wouldn't have to. If you want to check my work or read more, I bookmarked everything for you at del.icio.us.
To find the best of the web on tonight's debate just go to del.icio.us and insert the following (no quote marks, no commas) into the search box there: GOP youtube debatescoop. To narrow the search to articles focused on the questions add the word questions. To narrow to pieces previewing and predicting add the word preview.
After the debate you can do the same search but add winners/losers to find items discussing how the debate turned out.
But for now, you can simply click on "read more" to find my synthesis of the news and my own take aways from it. . . .
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: debate, debates, 2008 elections, republican presidential primary, youtube, GOP, questions, formats, roundup
GOP YouTube Debate: Questioning the Questions
Tonight's GOP YouTube debate provides an exciting opportunity for members of the American public to ask the candidates questions to which they really want answers. Members of the public will not only have the opportunity to write questions for candidates, but they will also be able to ask their questions of the candidates in their own way via YouTube videos. This system creates a valuable opportunity to study the structure and delivery of the debate's questions and the impact those questions have on the debate itself.
The kinds of questions asked in presidential debates, as well as how those questions are asked, bear significant implications for how candidates answer the questions and how the voting public perceives the answers to those questions. Ben-Porath, in his piece, "Framing the Candidates" (Paper presented at the annual Conference of the International Communication Association, 2005), identifies three important characteristics of questions that can affect the candidate's response and how the voting public perceives that response.
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: GOP, youtube, questions, formats, republican, presidential primary, elections 2008
Still a Man's World.
The main thing I noticed about this debate was the fact that it was introduced and moderated by a gorgeous woman, Maria Bartiromo. Her role in the debate really grabbed my attention, but for a different reason than the producers probably intended...
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: Dearborn, GOP, women, Bartiromo, youtube
North Carolina GOP holds First Gubernatorial Primary Debate
[editor's note, by Allan Louden] Guest Commentary: Dr. Linda Petrou, Wake Forest University
The first NC gubernatorial debate of the 2008 election season was held yesterday, October 20, 2007, at High Point University, High Point, NC, The three major Republican candidates were in attendance; Bill Graham, Bob Orr and Fred Smith. Or as one person referred to them: pretty boy, the nerd and the jock. John Hood of the John Lock Foundation was the moderator. The three candidates agree on most of the issues (surprise) with minor disagreement on the subject of affirmative action. Smith saying it is not needed we should have a level playing field; Graham saying it was needed; and Orr splitting the difference, there should be no quotas for any group (including legacies).
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: primary debate, GOP, Governor, North Carolina, Bill Graham, Bob Orr, Fred Smith
Thompson stumbles out of the block; Romney and Giuliani sharpen their attacks
[editor's note, by Ross Smith] The author is Kelly McDonald, Assistant Professor and Director of Forensics at Arizona State University.
Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson appeared in his first primary debate with fellow Republican contenders at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan's CNBC debate. Under the banner title, "The Republicans, The Economy and You" the financial network featured Chris Mathews and Maria Bartiromo asking questions of the nine candidates. There were no introductory or concluding statements by candidates and CNBC cut away for several commercial breaks during the scheduled two hour session. The format was freewheeling - much like prior debates - no particular order of the questions or time limits on answers.
While Thompson was given particular attention by the moderators - given the first question, acknowledging his participation in this debate, and prompted on a particular question on his "specifics" for social security reform - he failed to really capture the stage, appearing almost hesitant at times, agreeing in large measure with comments by his stage rivals and failing to articulate specifics of his proposals, tending to favor glossy generalities.
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: Thompson, GOP, Primary Debate, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney
Welcome to the Party, Fred
[editor's note, by Ross Smith] The author is David Steinberg, Director of Debate at the University of Miami.
Senator Fred Thompson closed today's debate with his observation that the Republican debates had been "getting kind of boring without me." Well, his participation hardly improved the debate's entertainment value. Nor did it establish Fred as the savior of the Party's hopes for 2008
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: republican debate, October 9, GOP
"All American Presidential Forum" Served Many Political Masters
Billed as a "Covenant with Black America," six GOP Presidential contenders debated last night at Morgan State University in Baltimore. I have a duel purpose in commenting on the Forum: (1) the role of sponsor/topic focused debates and (2) comment on the actual event.
The "Black issues" forum raises the issue of specialty debates in the primary process. There are predicted to be nearly thirty or so primary presidential political debates, forums, hookups, etc., many hosted by "special interest groups." Some might dismiss the Covenant Forum as another boutique debate, and from one perspective it is, ostensibly limiting topical content and directing a laser beam on the party's relationship with minority voters.
It also can be seen as more than the likes of the Values Voter debate in Fort Lauderdale or the Democrat AARP Health Care debate in Davenport Iowa last week. Arguably it was a "network hosted" (most would give PBS that status) and addresses minorities who, collectively, will not long be a minority. Even more pointedly the "race issue" is party to all Americans.
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: All American Forum, forum, GOP, Huckabee, Tavis Smiley, primary debate, PBS
Values Voters, Not Snowmen
Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo, and Ron Paul will participate tonight in the "Values Voters Presidential Debate" tonight at 6 pm Eastern(though the website live stream says they start at 7:30) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Tonight once was the scheduled date for the Republican version of the CNN/YouTube debate. That debate has been rescheduled to November 28.
In spite of their widely being regarded as a core GOP activist bloc, the "values voters" are being snubbed by leading contenders Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, and John McCain. "Scheduling conflicts" are cited by the campaigns, but scheduling is a question of campaign priorities. Moderator Joseph Farah puts it this way:
"There seems to be a concerted effort to dodge the agenda of the pro-family movement," he says. "Some of the front-running candidates have less than a stellar record of voting and governing on those issues."
While top Democratic candidates have participated in debates and forums sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), YearlyKos (bloggers/netroots), the AFL-CIO, Univision (Hispanic), as well as the YouTube debate and the Yahoo-Huffington Post Mashup, top tier GOP candidates have declined Univision, HRC, and, most recently, the African-American issues centered debate sponsored by PBS and moderated by Tavis Smiley (scheduled for September 27 at Morgan State University).
Fred Thompson is the only leading candidate of either party who has yet to participate in any debate or forum.
Update [2007-9-17 17:35:8 by Ross Smith]: First Read reports about Fred's debate debut and October debate schedule:
All of his Republican foes have been anxiously awaiting a chance to debate Fred Thompson. Well, on Oct. 9th in Dearborn, Mich., they'll get their first shot. Thompson's campaign announced today their October debate schedule. The first one the campaign has committed to attend: the CNBC/MSNBC/Wall Street Journal debate which is being organized in conjunction with the Michigan Republican Party.
The other two October debates Thompson has committed to are in Manchester, N.H., on Oct. 14th (WMUR-ABC) and Orlando, Fla. (Fox News) on Oct. 21st.
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: debate, debates, GOP, elections 2008, republican residential primary, participation
Des Moines GOP Debate: Musings and Reflections
Obfuscation was the winner in ABC's "This Week" Republican primary debate from Des Moines, IA. The top-tier (as well as the rest of the field) stayed largely true to form while John McCain did not meet expectations in jumpstarting his campaign. The host, George Stephanopoulos, despite his stated goal of hosting a "real debate." failed to generate anything like the "mayhem" he was seeking. Perhaps the biggest loser (and/or winner) was the person not onstage (and I don't mean Fred Thompson).
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: debate, debates, GOP, republican presidential primary, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, George Stephanopoulos, This Week
Live From Des Moines -- GOP on ABC
Update [2007-8-5 13:6:57 by Ross Smith]:It's back to the hotel then to Chicago. I'll use the drive to contemplate a big picture story. I also have lots of fun little stories, including Tommy Thompson on Iraq policy and Duncan Hunter's military obsession. For this debate I'll just say for now that the winner is DebateScoop.
Update [2007-8-5 12:4:28 by Ross Smith]: Back in the filing room now where about twenty are writing stories. There is a message from the Obama campaign in my inbox responding to this morning's debate! The Romney campaign has two messages in my e-mail, the second one already has a long list of quotes constructed to show he won.
I did get in the spin room where I got to talk in person with Huckabee, Thompson, and Hunter. I also asked a question of Lindsay Graham who is McCain's loyal soldier, and spoke with the Romney and Brownback surrogates. Rudy's people disappeared quickly. A sign holder for one of the campaigns was in my debate class just a year ago. Outside the spin room afterward, Frank Luntz was less than enthusiastic about DebateScoop and further research on how people watch debates.
Update [2007-8-5 12:4:28 by Ross Smith]: People are scurrying in all directions right after the debate. Some remain in filing room, writing their stories. Otheres off to the spin room, off for a smoke. I think I'll wander around.
It's nice and convenient to have transcripts in the inbox, but no time to use them now.
Update [2007-8-5 9:52:8 by Ross Smith]: My e-mail is receiving "fact checks" on the abortion dispute between Brownback and Romney.
Pre-debate
Ron Paul supporters and rain greeted me at Drake University this morning at 6:30. A group of forty plus Paul supporters braved wild rains, wind and thunder outside the auditorium where the debate would be held ninety minutes later.
Three lonely "Rudy" sign holders and a Fair Tax (is Gravel here, too?) bus were the only other signs of campaign life if you don't count the media trucks.
I checked out the empty spin room first, a small theater with little platforms on the stage set up for each candidate. It seems strange that the campaigns would not insist on a larger space with more room for more reporters -- credentials to the spin room are separate and harder to come by.
I asked a few reporters here what they were looking for, how they would watch the debate. The consensus is that with the Ames straw poll about on the near horizon the maneuvering of the "second tier" candidates, Brownback, Huckabee and Tommy Thompson would be their focus. Brownback in particular has been picking fights with Romney, the only front runner to be "in" the straw poll. Brownback and Huckabee have also had tiffs and Tommy Thompson has declared success (measured by shifting bars) in the straw poll necessary for his own campaign.
I will track my reactions and musings using the comments thread below. Join Tim O'Donnell and me there.
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: debate, debates, GOP, ABC, Des Moines, presidential primary, elections 2008
Experts Advise Students on Debate Questions
Many a question that is submitted to the YouTube debates is silly, and some that make it onto the debate program itself are criticized from a number of perspectives.
While some dwell on flaws, the Ben Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Initiative (BFTFI) saw yet another teaching and learning opportunity.
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: debate, debates, YouTube, GOP, BFTFI, questions
