Misnomer

[smofbabe]

I have no idea why they're calling the televised event today a "debate." The rules are as follows:

• The in-studio questioner must not deviate from his or her question and cannot ask a follow-up question.
• The microphones of the questioners will be turned off after they ask their questions.
• The moderator cannot ask a follow-up.
• Candidates cannot ask each other direct questions.
• Ninety-second answers, followed by two-minute discussion for each question. Two-minute closing statements.

Some debate, eh? No follow-up allowed from the moderator or the questioner and no direct engagement with each other. I have to wonder why they need a serious journalist like Tom Brokaw as "moderator" - sounds like any game show host could moderate this debate, given that apparently all they have to do is point to the person asking the question and indicate whose turn it is to answer. *sigh*

Here's hoping that McCain comes off as visibly nasty and defensive, and Obama comes off as visibly relaxed and engaged rather than professorial.

Comments

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

There haven't been real presidential debates in this country for many years. You seem...shocked.

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

This one seems even more silly than usual - not allowing follow-ups from anybody is just stump speech heaven (as we saw in the VP debate).

Although I just read that although the two candidates and the debate commission have agreed to the rules, Brokaw himself hasn't signed off on them, so maybe there's hope.

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

And hey! What's wrong with professors?

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

Absolutely nothing when you're paying someone to lecture you :-> However, it is an unfortunate truth that many voters are more likely to vote for someone with whom they'd like to hang out in a bar than for someone who they perceive is lecturing them.

[king-espresso.livejournal.com]

Perhaps with so many people involved they might call it a mass debate...