How did the GOP get a rules change for the VP debate??

[SHRED]

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I am still trying to understand why the debate committee allows either side to change anything?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/us/politics/21debate.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin


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[gateley]

1. From the article:

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

and

Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges. Advisers to Mr. Biden say they were comfortable with either format.

.....

I find this infuriating. They pick a candidate who could very well become the president if McCain were to expire, yet they aren't willing to show to the American people why they should place their trust in her.

As somebody else said, they have literally gambled with our national security in the name of politics.

[MNDemNY]

2. "Something " may happen to "Postpone" (read cancel) this debate.

If I were Track, I'd keep my head down.

[saltpoint]

3. Even with format adjustments, Sarah Palin is still attempting to

step onto the world stage versus Joe Biden.

"I pity the fool..." etc.

[napi21]

4. I remember reading somewhere that the dates & sites for the

debates were set quite a while ago, but the format & final rules would be resolved AFTER each candidate received their respective nomination.

[tibbiit]

5. I think strategically this was a great move for the dems

They must have known what has become apparent from the couric interview that Palin was so outclassed and out of her league that it could be seen as brutal if biden debated her the normal way.
Now they have made concessions that everyone knows or will know because she is so bad. That will be seen as kind.

On Sarah palin, as an alaskan who would never vote for her but kind of liked her okay as our gov... The pukes have taken her and sucked the very things that people in the state liked about her and then tried to impose a personality on her that is false. She is likeable and charismatic. I was scared to death she would sway it for mcnuts when she was selected. The puke handlers blew it. They marginalized her good qualities to our advantage. If they had let her be herself, we would of looked mean spirited and ugly by trying to stop her, it would have been very hard to do and turned off lots of indies. The Puke handlers messed up and messed her up. imo
tib

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I Originally Thought Our "Capitulation" Was A Mistake...I Was Wrong

If they used yesterday's format, Biden would have had no opportunity to embarrass her...He could have come off as a bully or chauvinist...

Now, she will just embarrass herself...

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. The media is portraying this as a GOP win...I disagree

The GOP likely went in asking for a short answer format. The Dems probably countered with "OK, but less back and forth between candidates then." Why? The only way Palin wins the debate is if she's riffing and beep-boppin' with her silly little insults. If she has to stick with substantive answers to the interviewer, she's cooked. So, the GOP needed to limit her exposure in terms of answers to questions, and it cost them dearly: the DEms reduced her only possible strong-suit (the one-liner insult) by taking back-and-forth off the table. It's the result of a negotiation:

GOP is happy because the answers are reduced, but unhappy because the back-and-forth is reduced.
Dems are happy because the back-and-forth is reduced, but unhappy that Palin won't be forced to ramble incoherently for a five minute stretch.

Everybody leaves the table with something they want, and something they don't want.