Drudge: Top Dem Candidates Say Televised Debates Are 'Waste Of Time'

[wyldwolf]

no link yet...

Any idea what this is about?

[arcane1]

1. the one on CNN sure as hell was

:grr:

[Mel]

6. sure was

with Judy's eye rolling and marching around on the stage I hate to say it but it sucked worse than the one Faux had.

What good is a debate ran by corporatist media mouth pieces? I would be complaining about it too.

[tsipple]

2. There Has Been Some Grumbling

Not all the Democrats have been grumbling, but a few have. Various complaints, mostly having to do with too little time allowed for each candidate to get his/her point across. Or, if you prefer, you could say Candidate X hasn't had enough debate time to bash Candidate Y. :-)

We'll see if Drudge names names and collects details in one place, but this stuff ain't news.

[FlemingsGhost]

3. Nevermind...

misunderstood the subject of which debates, I think.

[qwertyMike]

4. I agree

Too negative. All viewers are seeing is Dem/Negative Dem/Negative Dem/Negative Dem/Negative Dem/Negative Dem/Negative

Repugs must love this

[ibegurpard]

5. Why would anyone trust Drudge?

He's filling in for Rush Limbaugh, for christ's sake!

[wyldwolf]

8. It isn't a matter of trusting Drudge on things like this.

...he doesn't write the stories he links to.

[Yupster]

7. My suggestion for two hour debate

At beginning of the show pick three candidate names out of a hat.

For half hour, let them sit at a table with a moderator and discuss, argue, compare, debate issues. After the half hour, a group of debate teachers pick a winner.

Do this three times, then in the last half hourthe three winners square off.

[elperromagico]

9. Of course they're a waste of time

90 minutes less commercials gives you about 65-70 minutes worth of debate. Add time for moderator comments and questions, and you get maybe 50-55 minutes worth of actual candidate time. That's fine if you have 2 or 3 candidates. But when you have 9 candidates, each candidate winds up with about 5-6 minutes to express his/her views. Naturally, each candidate is going to "do their A material," which includes copious criticisms of Bush policies (and of each other).

Guess what gets aired on the evening news? "The Democratic candidates for president spent ninety minutes last night bashing President Bush and bashing each other."

So yes, they are a waste of time, and they will be until the field is narrowed.

[rustydog]

10. There hasn't been a real debate in this country for decades

these so-called debates are TV specials with candidates making their prepared talking points>>>
"I know of a missus Smith in Winston-Salem who has to work 4 jobs just to pay for her husband's Viagra prescription."
"I am the ONLY Presidential Candidate who once thought of joining a union when I thought about taking a box-boy job when daddy and mommie sent me to college."

The debates should be an open format with SOME content control and a moderator with the power to kill a microphone after he/she has warned "time"twice.

Questions should come from a moderator and being very openended:
What are your views on saving social security?
Should Bush be ousted from office, what would you do in the first 100 days to try to reverse the damage done?

let them debate like real men and women.

[elperromagico]

11. It will never happen

and with somebody like bush, it wouldn't matter anyway. bush will answer the question with a pre-fab response regardless of what the question is.

Moderator: PResident bush, there are those who claim your stance in Iraq has damaged our standing in the world. How would you respond to such claims?
bush: Uhh, y'see... Terrorism. 9/11. Terrorism. 9/11. Terrorism. 9/11. Terrorism. Did I mention terrorism?

Moderator: PResident bush, your tax cuts do not appear to have stimulated the economy. In fact, they appear to have produced a record-setting deficit. If you are reelected, will you push to maintain these tax cuts.
bush: Well, y'know... Terrorism. 9/11. Terrorism. 9/11. 9/11, 9/11, 9/11. Terrorism. Terrorism. 9/11. And terrorism.

[PATRICK]

12. wrong way to raise the obvious issue

Forget Drudge. Yes the debates as ritual should be made the most of instead of a steadily crippled routine. If they are a waste, change them and dump the enemy moderators and hostile venues. if they are a waste, innovate and change the situation.

Routine will mean ambush, boredom, predictability and defeat.