Not pleased with the idea of six more debates

[GBD4]

It just seems to me that we'd be better off having each candidate making a ten-minute speech to the American people rather than get asked six more times about Iraq and health care. As it is, the candidates get such little time given the large field and not every candidate answers a question in each "theme/section" of the debate. We had the AFL-CIO debate, and then tonite once again some of the candidates were talking up trade policy. It's old! We know who is anti-NAFTA, who is pro-free trade, etc, etc, etc. I just wonder if six more debates are really necessary. What are some thoughts? Are there topics that aren't being asked?

[Sweetpea]

1. There wil be enough change from month to month now especially

with the Iraq crisis. They need to stay in the public eye too.

[Cha]

2. I know ..I 'm not too fond of the format but what can you do when

9/10 People want to vie to be the one to knock bush off his pedastal?

I can't wait until we settle on numero uno!

[Cocoa]

3. it depends how well they're moderated

hopefully the moderator will prevent things from being repetitive.

I didn't see this one, but it sounds like it went really well.

Was it Jim Lehrer? I thought he was excellent in 2000.

[AP]

11. I thought jim leher SUCKED in 2000

Perhaps someone could refresh my memory on the specifics, but I'm pretty sure that he cut off Gore a couple times at important moments. I think Sid Blumenthal has a few paragraphs in The Clinton Wars on the outrage of the 2000 debates.

[madfloridian]

4. I notice Dean is better unscripted than trying to fit a format.

He just does not fit a category, and a debate like that is not his forte. He is so much better just off the cuff, even if he blunders now and then.

[GBD4]

6. Agree

I think Sharpton benefits the most from the debates and Moseley-Braun enhances her congenial image...the rest are very inconsistent in performance not only from debate to debate but even during each debate

[Cha]

7. I know! It seems like an unnatural setting but I know there are

those who can acclimate to it! But.I heard Dean got some Good ones in tonight!

I'm anxious to hear from some of the People in New Mexico who were there..DUers..if they exist!

[terryg11]

5. unfortunately it may be necessary

since more people will tune in the closer we get to the primaries and caucuses.

they could be structured more like debates since these are more like forums and it's hard to answer someones charges with so little time to share among all nine.

they could talk about the failings of 911 and why this admin. is blocking the way of a real investigation. How would you handle that candidate x if you were the prez?

they could get more specific on the environment. Will you join other countries in the Kyoto agreement? Do you agree with the Bush admins cutting of clean air standards?

How are you going to make us less reliant on mideast oil? What specifically do you champion? will you take on the enrgy giants?

Are you afraid of another voting debacle like the one in Florida in '00? what can we do to prevent this from happening again?

these are some questions they could ask

[paulsbc]

8. truthfully

these aren't debates at all, they are Q&A sessions with moderators. A real debate, which I'd love to see, would pit the candidates against each other in an open forum regarding the issues.

for example, they all are together and a topic is thrown out to them to debate, time limit of 15 minutes for each topic, 7 topics each debate. No moderator interference except at the 15 minute demark point, each group of people referree themselves and make their points, counterpoints, facts and challenges in a real debate style.

what we saw tonight was a bunch of stump speeches and surface coverings of issues, no depth. and you will never get much depth if you have the formats we had tonight..

[AP]

10. Better practice up for when they go against Bush.

Don't you think.

Also, they're going to be able to use these to respond to issue that are important at the moment.

Tonight it was important to prove to everyone that they all hate Bush.

[madfloridian]

9. Ha Ha .

I have 6 people on ignore, and it has made the board much more pleasant.

Now there is one of them on this thread, I don't know who it is.....and I don't care. And they did not make me mad because I could not read it.

I have never done it before, but it really works.

[redeye]

12. Which reply number?

I have 3 people on my ignore: one because of excessive fundamentalism (no, Blue_Chill, it's not you), one because of excessive Dean-bashing and socialism, and one because he is a total gun nut.

[madfloridian]

14. Excessive everything bashing just to irritate.

Feels good not to see it. I know it is because of excessive bashing, because all 6 do it. LOL

[realFedUp]

13. but some pundit complained today that they haven't been debating...

or just some pundit hasn't been paying attention...

[paulsbc]

15. do you honestly think

that what we saw tonight was a "debate"? I don't....