The Debate Rules
Networks balk at Bush-Kerry debate agreement
Although the Bush and Kerry camps have meticulously crafted an agreement on the rules for this year’s presidential debates, the television networks broadcasting them refuse to go along with the plans.
Specifically, the networks object to provisions in the agreement that place limits on their cameras, including prohibitions on shots of one candidate while the other is answering questions.
At least two of the television journalists chosen to moderate the debates — ABC’s Charles Gibson and CBS’s Bob Schieffer — have not signed the agreement on ground rules hammered out between the two campaigns, according to their networks.
The other two moderators are Gwen Ifill and Jim Lehrer, both of PBS, which has not yet commented.
Under terms of the agreement reached last week between the Bush and Kerry campaigns after lengthy negotiations, moderators who refuse to sign the document can be replaced.
The 32-page agreement sets out the rules for the debates with great specificity, down to details such as the temperature of the hall, what kind of paper can be used to take notes and who can stand in the wings.
Monday, the Commission on Presidential Debates, the independent group that plays host to the debates, said it would agree to enforce the rules reached in the agreement between the Bush and Kerry campaigns and that there “will be no departure from the terms” unless there is “prior consultation with, and approval by, the appropriate campaign representatives.”
Yet no one on the commission has signed the agreement and the first debate is tomorrow night. Plus many stations including FOX, CBS, NBC and others are objecting the guidelines by stating they are not subject to agreements between candidates.
Should the media outlets have to follow guidelines set by candidates?
September 29, 2004 - 09:41 AM on September 29th, 2004
I am at a dilemma here. Who the Hell is this self appointed Presidential Debate Commission? Who gave them the power to even pick the moderators? I wouldn’t let Bob Schieffer or Gwen Ifill moderate a debate between kindergarteners over a toy, let alone an issue debate. Both are Democrat partisans.
I don’t care for these debates. Kerry’s going to lie and there is no truth detector to go off and tell the audience that he lied again.
September 29, 2004 - 10:03 AM on September 29th, 2004
I think both sides are being petty. There are too many rules. I want the President of the United States to be able to think and debate regardless of the temperature or note pad size.
I am very much looking forward to these debates. Both President Bush and Senator Kerry are supposed to be great debaters, but they have very different styles. It should be interesting.
September 29, 2004 - 10:19 AM on September 29th, 2004
Wouldn’t it be great if they were hooked up to lie detectors, PCD…Kerry would be sweating (orange) bullets!
September 29, 2004 - 10:28 AM on September 29th, 2004
To be honest, I think that a lot of the rules are a bit far-fetched, particularly “the temperature of the hall” and what have you. It reminds me of a lot of the ridiculous dressing room demands made by performers when they tour — you know, the ones that insist on a certain color of M&Ms being removed, or J-Lo’s legendary insistence on only white furniture.
And then, of course, there is the Queen of England, whose grapes must be peeled on a regular basis.
Now having said all that, in light of the CBS-scandal, I find it quite interesting that CBS hasn’t signed the agreement. It does make me wonder about some of the fine print. Did they insist that certain sources should be verified sufficiently?
September 29, 2004 - 10:32 AM on September 29th, 2004
I personally don’t think anyone affiliated with CBS should be allowed to moderate. For a good read on Kerry and the debates, check this out.
September 29, 2004 - 10:47 AM on September 29th, 2004
PCD, the League of Women Voters used to set up the debates with the camps, and take care of everything. This was a private sector event. Then some bureaucrats decided to create a commission, hijack it from the League and froze out private parties from coordinating them.
Still don’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
September 29, 2004 - 10:53 AM on September 29th, 2004
BTW, does anyone remember whether or not Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale made wild demands of this calibur during the ‘84 Debates?
September 29, 2004 - 11:16 AM on September 29th, 2004
When they mention “temperature of the hall”, keep in mind they left out whether or not they are referring to a range or a specific value. Both will be under lights, wearing suits, you can bet one of MY demands would be to keep the temperature under a certain degree and that doesn’t mean giving them permission to be below 40 degrees either.
Also, I think there should be rules to goven the media and their usage of the cameras and other areas. They are already so pro-Kerry, all that would happen if there are no agreed upon rules is that the media will do all they can to show Kerry favorably while showing Bush unfavorably. So, the rules govern to prevent bias in either direction so that the viewers can get their opinions formed based on content ONLY as opposed to content and media enhanced imagery.
September 29, 2004 - 11:24 AM on September 29th, 2004
Shannon, good points. Maybe they should put a sunlamp over Kerry so he can save the time going to those one-minute spray on tan places. The MasterDebater indeed.
September 29, 2004 - 11:34 AM on September 29th, 2004
Very good points, though I’m not so sure they’re as pro-Kerry as they are anti-Bush. As are most libs these days, I notice…:roll:
September 29, 2004 - 11:38 AM on September 29th, 2004
I just can’t wait for all of this to be over soon. It’s giving me an ulcer.
September 29, 2004 - 11:52 AM on September 29th, 2004
#7: AG, I remember Mondale & Reagan couldn’t agree on a final panelist and Baba Wawa, who was the moderator at one of the debates, publicly scolded both of them for that. I can’t recall a lot of the specifics because I knew Mondale didn’t stand a chance, and I was about three months short of reaching voting age.
September 29, 2004 - 12:00 PM on September 29th, 2004
Sasha — not to give away my age, but I remember even less, except that I was a good eight years away from voting age myself.
I do seem to vaguely recall thinking that it looked pretty good for Reagan at that point, which of course made me happy. I remember Voting Day fairly clearly, namely watching in excitement all of the states lighting up in favor of Reagan. Except, of course, for Massachusetts (sp?).
September 29, 2004 - 12:02 PM on September 29th, 2004
I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment, K:
From your mouth to God’s ears.
September 29, 2004 - 12:11 PM on September 29th, 2004
AG – I think we are about the same age. And I think you meant Minnesota (I grew up there).
September 29, 2004 - 12:17 PM on September 29th, 2004
The networks wish to hector to simply make news themselves. As for rules to debating each side wishes to play to their candidates strengths. Unfortunately for Mr. Kerry, Dan Rather cannot debate in his place.
September 29, 2004 - 01:04 PM on September 29th, 2004
The thing I dislike about most debates — the ones with journalists asking the questions — is that it seems to me they try to impress and out each other with long-winded, confusing, complex questions that invite non-answers. I like the Cheney-Lieberman debate from the last time.
Too many rules, but the media is notorious for playing gotcha and assuming the rules don’t apply to them. Sad to say, you have to prepare for the worst case scenario, because you can’t unring the bell.
September 29, 2004 - 01:15 PM on September 29th, 2004
when the republicans agreed to the debates they demanded that one of the conditions was that candidates could not ask each other questions.
it’s better than nothing but both are doing everything possible to not blow it rather than opening themselves the the people they work for.
September 29, 2004 - 01:25 PM on September 29th, 2004
when the democrats agreed to the debates they wanted no more than 60 minutes. bush wanted more. they agreed on 90. perhaps that is kerry’s flip flopping limit. and shiloh, you already posted that.
September 29, 2004 - 01:26 PM on September 29th, 2004
thank you for being the posting police, k
September 29, 2004 - 01:29 PM on September 29th, 2004
sorry, it was just irritating…
September 29, 2004 - 02:42 PM on September 29th, 2004
You just cant trust these liberal journalists they are hesatent becuase of what has happened with Dan Rather and the CBS program 60 Minutes it looks like the news media is trying to back out of a problem brought down upon themselves and i hope it hurts them:grin::mad::razz::lol::roll:
September 29, 2004 - 03:36 PM on September 29th, 2004
So much water for the mill… where to begin?
Blogflash PCD – they’re both going to lie, or at the very least, stretch the truth just as far as they think they can without getting caught. It is, after all, politics isn’t it?
Are you really (really) sure you want both of them hooked up to lie detectors K? Might be some nasty surprises in there for ya… and if even if there wasn’t – both sides would just mutter about how the other guy(tm) was such a good liar that the detectors couldn’t even pick it up.
The whole temperature of the hall thing is pretty funny to – what’s the big deal? Bush demanded the height of the podiums to be exactly ‘x’ inches tall… which is stranger? Yeah, yeah, I know – not the same thing at all.
I would have been truly disappointed if someone hadn’t brought up the horrid liberal media bias – did none of you catch Krugman over at the NYT? According to him the cable stations are basically gonna declare Bush the winner before either of them opens their yop: because of the conservative bias don’t ‘cha know.
It’s live theatre, a political stage show – nothing more, anybody expecting anything more than that is going to be really disappointed. Anybody who sees more than that probably should have their voting rights revoked… along with their right to drive a motor vehicle.
September 29, 2004 - 05:37 PM on September 29th, 2004
It was Minnesota? I thought it was Massachusetts!
ops:
Well, it was the state where this candidate (whose name I can’t remember now, aside from the fact that he was a Democrat) had the plane crash, and Mondale at the last minute substituted for him in the race. I remember that Jean Carnahan stumped for him at the time…
September 29, 2004 - 05:40 PM on September 29th, 2004
Yeah, that was Wellstone, and MN. Don’t forget Gov. Ventura.
I admit it all, although embarrassing.
I moved though!
September 29, 2004 - 07:05 PM on September 29th, 2004
K, I’m a frequent visitor to the Twin Cities, and your roads are a lot better, no sales tax on clothes at the Mall of America, tubs of Sweet Martha’s cookies at the state fair, incredible regentrification near the river, a technological and advertising/design mecca, low crime relative to the population, Prince.
Okay, the property taxes are a bit high, you have about 1,000 fewer lakes there than here, you can’t drive there if you don’t know where you’re going, and I don’t understand how one walks around, face buried in a boat of fried cheese curds.
Anyway, the details of the debate negotiations are about as lengthy as some of the celebrity venue riders that can be found at The Smoking Gun. Some of the particulars I bet the candidates don’t even know about — the handlers are doing that. Every debate I can recall always has some talking heads going on about how presidential this one looks or how short that one is. Gore looked too orange, they showed his bald spot. Bush is only 5′ 11″ and he’s not a good public speaker. If we want to be that shallow (apologies in advance) let’s have them all parade around Speedos and high heels.
Now that I’ve stopped laughing…
I would rather there be debates than not. Here in Michigan, John Engler was being challenged by Geoffrey Fieger. Fieger beat out a number of high profile Dems including former gov. Jim Blanchard. But Fieger spent so much time personally attacking Engler’s weight, wife and kids, that when it came down it, Engler said there will be no debates; Fieger had gotten enough free airtime with personal and familial, attacks and he wasn’t going to willingly subject himself to it.
Fieger lost badly in that election.
September 29, 2004 - 07:35 PM on September 29th, 2004
So, James A Baker III works for Bush on the debate rules, while working for the Saudi’s against family members of 9/11…
September 30, 2004 - 12:09 AM on September 30th, 2004
If i was president or runnign for president i would say to the other guy i’ll only debate under these terms, you and me 7:00pm, no modataor, no panel, no one asking questions from the crowd, we just both show up and go at it till we get tired or everyone else does.
i would then bring along a book with tons of facts and quotes from him and start the blood letting.
September 30, 2004 - 07:14 AM on September 30th, 2004
The rules sound more like a Hollywood contract than a debate outline. The moderator should be under strict rules to cut the mike of either one that goes over the alloted time. Other than that, there should be no rules.
August 29, 2006 - 07:15 PM on August 29th, 2006
Let’s not forget that Bush can’t stand any real competition – he tends to come out looking badly and that hurts his feewings. He was caught clearly wearing a wireless earphone (see the photos of the back of his suit he wore at the debate). There is a long record of Shrub cheating to win – just like the way he “won” the election in 2000. The dumbass just cannot think, so somebody was whispering in his ear what to say.
All these Bush apologists are really sad…but they have to rationalize and justify their very stupid votes. Apparently a conservative would rather seriously hurt America’s credibility, economy and even national security rather than admit they made a mistake yet they wrap themselves up in our flag at every opportunity, claiming to be patriots! Amazing, the delusions and defense mechanisms hypocrites can employ but usually their strategy is attack, attack, attack to keep the dialogue from being about themselves.
August 29, 2006 - 07:53 PM on August 29th, 2006
“Let’s not forget that Bush can’t stand any real competition…”
Evidently that’s true because he won a gubernatorial primary, gubernatorial election, Presidential primary and two Presidential elections. Competition, evidently kills him as he has not lost a public election.
Don’t let the facts hit ya where the good Lord split ya.
While I refuse to resort to the low brow tactic of stereotyping that you seem to love to resort to, I will say one thing: conservatives are not the only hypocrites on this board.