Tag: presidential primary
High Stakes: D(ebate) Days Are Here in Iowa
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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: debate, debates, Des Moines Register, Iowa, presidential primary, elections 2008
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
October Democratic Debate
The World Series is over, the academic debate season is in full swing (slowing down my blogging), a chill is in the air and maybe the long debate season for the Democratic primary contenders will shift gears tonight at 9 pm ET from Drexel, a two hour affair on MSNBC.
Since the first debate last spring, little has changed. We've lost only one of the eight candidates, curmudgeon Mike Gravel. Hillary Clinton is still the front runner.
Obama claims to be going on the attack. Tonight's debate is worth watching for voters who are just now getting interested and for those of us who have been judging the debates all along.
The intercollegiate debate topic is on U.S. policy towards the Middle East. At the Harvard tournament this weekend there was much more sophisticated debate on the range of options we should consider with regard to Iran than we have heard from the candidates. The Iran issue is rapidly unfolding as a great test of candidates' foreign policy chops. Perhaps the questions can be as good as the cross-ex was at Harvard even if the answers aren't.
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: debate, debates, presidential primary, 2008 elections, democratic
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
Tavis Smiley Hosts Dem "Debate" Tonight
We're back in the nick of time with news of (and some coverage later) tonight's debate from Howard University at 9pm Eastern on PBS.
The debate, hosted by Tavis Smiley with questions all posed by minority journalists, will be "focused on issues of importance to African American voters," according to the brief write up in the Washington Post.
The debate has an element of fairness that previous ones did not: each candidate will get to answer each of the 12 questions.
Media Matters and others have questioned the fairness of post-debate commentator and pollster Frank Luntz both because of his Republican ties and because of his past ethical lapses. One does wonder why PBS could not find someone perceived as more neutral.
This debate has had very little coverage, perhaps because of the subject matter, perhaps the non-commercial outlet, or perhaps because it is summer and the end of quarter fundraising news is easier.
For ourselves, we were just distracted.
Time to get back to work!
Update [2007-6-28 17:17:12 by Ross Smith]: PBS has a website for the debate and you can watch it via streaming video if you are not near a TV.
Check back here for a liveblog at 9 and commentary after.
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: debate, debates, minorities, democratic primary, presidential primary, 2008 elections
GOP in New Hampshire Preview -- Fireworks on Immigration Expected
Ten Republican presidential candidates will take the same stage at Saint Anselm College occupied by the eight Democratic contenders two nights ago. The hosts, CNN, The Union Leader, and WMUR remain the same, as will the moderator, Wolf Blitzer.
But the similarities should end there. The Republicans are much more divided this cycle on core issues of interest to their base than are the Democrats. Immigration is the paradigm case. The race is nowhere near as settled -- the Dems have a clear top tier and a lone front runner while much of the biggest news will be about a Republican candidate, Fred Thompson, who is not even in the debate and while polls are all over the place with regard to Thompson, Giuliani, Romney, and McCain. Read more about what to expect from tonight's debate. . . .
Update [2007-6-5 17:56:31 by Ross Smith]: Should have listed time, 7-9pm EDT, and that it will be on CNN nationally, WMUR TV in New Hampshire and that both of those outlets have streaming video at their websites.
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: debate, debates, New Hampshire, presidential primary, Republicans, elections 2008
Day After Round Up - Dem Debate in NH
Here is the "best of" useful and information about last night's Democratic presidential primary debate.
Included below are links to the transcript, video clips, the campaigns' press releases (they all won), blog and press takes, and much, much more.
Click "Read more . . . " enjoy, and please help by adding your info, links or remarks in the comments.
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: debate, debates, blogosphere, sping, New Hampshire, democrats, presidential primary, elections 2008
Dem Primary Debate Preview: New Hampshire in June
Eight Democratic presidential candidates debate tonight at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire from 7 to 9 p.m. The debate can be seen on CNN, WMUR, and the websites of these, the co-sponsors of the debate along with the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Read below the fold for pre-debate notes and analysis, and come back soon for live-blogging and post-debate analysis.
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: democrats, presidential primary, debate, debates, New Hampshire
GOP in SC: First Analysis
Update [2007-5-16 11:35:12 by Ross Smith]: Travel to D.C. and then to NYC for this PDF Conference precludes more detailed analyis from me today and much of this week, but I will add to last night's analysis as follows:
1) Readers who follow our links to the conservative blogs will find that there is near unanimity on Rudy's having had a good night and a split on McCain and Romney that seems to have more to do with the commenter's prior positions on those two than with their debating. If nothing else, his attack on Ron Paul will get played over and over.
2) Even some of the DailyKos bloggers from the left praised Fox News for doing a much better job of moderating than did MSNBC. "Slam dunk case" there.
3) There is a debate at The Corner on torture. Let me just note that in my debate class, even the most conservative students find that once they research the subject they find the issue nearl undebatable -- the case against legitimzing torture is too powerful, morally and pragmatically.
4) Listen to the archive of our radio discussion by going to the blogtalkradio link at the button below. Then comment here. Thanks!
With the at 11:30 p.m. EDT 
show coming up in just a few minutes, here are my initial reactions (I reserve the right to "flip flop" but will only do so if there is good reason!).
Winners:
Fox moderators.
McCain.
Giuiliani.
Huckabee.
The audience.
Losers:
Romney.
The rest of the lower tier.
Read more for a brief justification . . .
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: Repblicans, presidential primary, 2008 elections, winners
GOP in SC Liveblog
Use the comments below for the liveblog . . . and check back for "First Analysis" posts and join us at 11:30 p.m. EDT on .
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: debate Republicans, South Carolina, Fox, presidential primary, liveblog
GOP in SC - Pre-debate Items of Interest
Update [2007-5-15 16:6:31 by Ross Smith]: We mourn the passing of Rev. Jerry Falwell, 73. Academic debate had no better support from a university president than the support he gave the Liberty team. The team, encouraged to argue and understand both sides of even the most controversial social issues, was his pride and joy. Their Director, Brett O'Donnell is on leave to work as John McCain's debate advisor. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Liberty debate family.
Check back for our liveblog and "First Analysis" posts for more on tonight's 9 p.m. EDT debate and join us at 11:30 p.m. EDT on .
Meanwhile, read more below for the pre-debate items of special interest. Check out the preview post below, too, worth its pixels for Alan Coversotne's comment alone.
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: Republicans, 2008 elections, debates, debate, presidential primary, South Carolina, moderators
Preview: GOP Debate on Fox in South Carolina
The same ten Republican candidates who debated at the Reagan Library just ten days ago will take the stage again tomorrow night at 9 p.m. in Columbia, South Carolina, for a debate sponsored by the state's Republican party and Fox News. Fox News broadcasts will be debate centered from 3 pm EDT through post-debate coverage on the "Hannity & Colmes" show.
Leading candidates are "grumbling" about the format for the debate which is 90 minutes, 5 rounds of 10 questions, 60 second answers with 30 second rebuttals or follow ups, no cross questioning, and no opening or closing statements. Brit Hume will moderate and Wendell Goler and Chris Wallace will ask the questions.
Coming as it does close on the heels of the "fallout" from the first debate, it will be interesting to see to what extent this debate extends the narrative of "division on social issues."
Click on "Read More . . ." below for much more of the scoop, and plan to join me on at 11:30 pm EDT after tomorrow night's debate.
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: Republicans, debate, debates, presidential primary, 2008 elections, Fox
Facts and Fun from the Reagan Library Debate
There's raw material aplenty from the first Republican presidential primary debate held at the Reagan Library in Simi, California.
We'll have more analysis throughout the coming days. Meanwhile, here's a quick round up of some of the data as well as the funniest liveblog of a debate I have ever read. Just follow below the fold (click the little "read more" thing) . . .
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: Republicans, debate, debates, tag clowds, presidential primary
GOP Debate - Liveblog
Welcome to the live blog of the first debate between GOP candidates vying for their party's nomination for the 2008 presidential election. I'll be providing real time reaction throughout the debate and if you want to join me, simply post a comment below (create an account, free, to be able to post).
Join Ross Smith and me (plus special guests) at midnight EDT on , too
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: Republican, presidential primary, debate, debates, 2008 elections, Ronald Reagan
First Analysis of GOP California Debate
Everyone wants to know "who won" right away. OK, I'll indulge you a little bit below the fold, but remember, this was round one and the media coverage battle and spin battle is a part of this round that just started minutes ago.
Just click the "read more" and disagree or agree in the comments.
Join me (plus special guests) at midnight EDT on , too
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: GOP, Republicans, debate, debates, presidential primary, 2008 elections
