More about our scripted debate
Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:43 am
Questioners are suddenly in the spotlight
The magnitude of what Terry Shirey participated in didn't really hit him until a friend called on Wednesday.
Shirey's name appeared on a news Web site in Israel after he asked Sen. John McCain a question about how he would respond as president if Iran attacked the Jewish state.
Shirey was one of 80 Middle Tennesseans who participated in the town-hall style presidential debate at Belmont University on Tuesday. A Republican leaning toward McCain, he said the debate didn't change his mind for Sen. Barack Obama.
...
Those selected didn't know they would get to ask a question until moderator Tom Brokaw, the former NBC anchor, called their name during the debate. They were selected over the past week and a half when the Gallup Organization randomly dialed voters in the Nashville area.
The key criterion was finding voters who were undecided or at least would consider changing their opinion of the candidates.
...
The 80 participants and about 20 alternates underwent background checks by the Secret Service.
The participants spent a full day of preparation before the debate Tuesday, reporting at 9 a.m. to the Women's Club of Nashville, where they were briefed by a Secret Service agent and then bused to Belmont's campus.
The day included an afternoon dry run at the debate hall. Student volunteers from the university stood in as surrogates for the candidates as the town hall participants practiced asking questions on subjects such as Titans and Vanderbilt football, country music and college basketball.
They were there to get comfortable using a microphone under the stage lights, but they had to use the non-political questions so they would not to give a hint of what they planned to ask the candidates.
By the time the candidates walked into the debate hall at 8 p.m., the town hall participants had been at it for 11 hours.
Ingrid Jackson of Nashville said she went into the debate hall leaning toward Obama. ... She said Obama's personal touch, staying after the debate for photos and autographs, made an impression on many of the participants, while McCain's leaving almost immediately after it was over also left an impression.
"I talked to several people," she said. "We all pretty much had the same opinion. We were all disappointed (McCain) left."
(full article)
Moments that pleased voters
Tuesday's presidential debate at Belmont University was a carefully orchestrated affair, one that was intended to make this event a barometer of what the nation wants from its next president.
But from inside the Curb Event Center, there was an audience that was unafraid to react to candidates' responses, or their lack thereof — something that didn't always show up on camera.
...
Ben Raybin was one of the 80 people who participated in the town hall session. The Vanderbilt University law student didn't get to ask his question (which was on Iraq), but he said what happened in the hall after the debate was perhaps the most informative moment of the evening.
He said John McCain stayed around for a few minutes and then quickly left, but Barack Obama stuck around for about 30 minutes afterward signing autographs and snapping photos with the participants.
Raybin said that personal touch made a strong impression on almost everyone at the debate.
Raybin said he was undecided but leaning toward Obama before the debate, but he had pretty much made up his mind now.
"It really struck a chord that Senator Obama stayed," Raybin said. "Him sticking around resonated with people. He seemed genuinely interested and curious about real people. He asked people their names and what they did."
Raybin, 23, said some people who didn't get to ask their questions in the debate actually got to ask him the questions.
"It's hard to blame Senator McCain for leaving," Raybin said. "I understand he's very busy and got a lot to do."
(full article #2)
Suburban Turmoil: Mommy in the Middle
By: Lindsay Ferrier
Posted: Friday, October 10, 2008 1:18 am
A little over a decade ago, I went to Washington expecting to be inspired by the political process, and mentored by some of the biggest names in the news business. ... The experience taught me that politics was a dirty game, one that was carefully orchestrated and staged, and one I had no interest in playing. I felt disillusioned by a government that seemed laden with corruption and out of touch with reality.
...
I came to the presidential debate as a member of the media, but in the end I felt more like Dorothy entering Oz, hoping things had changed since I last mingled among the politicos, and that I would magically find the answers I was seeking. Instead, just as I did 13 years ago, I found the Washington Wizards to be flawed and out-of-touch, still hiding behind the imposing gates of Oz.
There is one difference this time around. It’s not my youth that gets the politicians’ attention anymore; it’s my demographic.
I’m a middle class, moderate Mommy in the Middle. I’m not tied down to any one party. I’m concerned about taxes, the economy, the environment, and the rising cost of health care. It becomes abundantly clear as Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama pose and posture on the debate stage that I’m the one that they want. And they’ll say whatever it takes to get me.
...
Trying to decide between the two men feels much like reading a choose-your-own-adventure novel, but with things the way they are, both outcomes seem bleak. Once again, I find myself mulling over which of these candidates is the lesser of two evils.
And I’m still not entirely sure.
(full article #3)
The magnitude of what Terry Shirey participated in didn't really hit him until a friend called on Wednesday.
Shirey's name appeared on a news Web site in Israel after he asked Sen. John McCain a question about how he would respond as president if Iran attacked the Jewish state.
Shirey was one of 80 Middle Tennesseans who participated in the town-hall style presidential debate at Belmont University on Tuesday. A Republican leaning toward McCain, he said the debate didn't change his mind for Sen. Barack Obama.
...
Those selected didn't know they would get to ask a question until moderator Tom Brokaw, the former NBC anchor, called their name during the debate. They were selected over the past week and a half when the Gallup Organization randomly dialed voters in the Nashville area.
The key criterion was finding voters who were undecided or at least would consider changing their opinion of the candidates.
...
The 80 participants and about 20 alternates underwent background checks by the Secret Service.
The participants spent a full day of preparation before the debate Tuesday, reporting at 9 a.m. to the Women's Club of Nashville, where they were briefed by a Secret Service agent and then bused to Belmont's campus.
The day included an afternoon dry run at the debate hall. Student volunteers from the university stood in as surrogates for the candidates as the town hall participants practiced asking questions on subjects such as Titans and Vanderbilt football, country music and college basketball.
They were there to get comfortable using a microphone under the stage lights, but they had to use the non-political questions so they would not to give a hint of what they planned to ask the candidates.
By the time the candidates walked into the debate hall at 8 p.m., the town hall participants had been at it for 11 hours.
Ingrid Jackson of Nashville said she went into the debate hall leaning toward Obama. ... She said Obama's personal touch, staying after the debate for photos and autographs, made an impression on many of the participants, while McCain's leaving almost immediately after it was over also left an impression.
"I talked to several people," she said. "We all pretty much had the same opinion. We were all disappointed (McCain) left."
(full article)
Moments that pleased voters
Tuesday's presidential debate at Belmont University was a carefully orchestrated affair, one that was intended to make this event a barometer of what the nation wants from its next president.
But from inside the Curb Event Center, there was an audience that was unafraid to react to candidates' responses, or their lack thereof — something that didn't always show up on camera.
...
Ben Raybin was one of the 80 people who participated in the town hall session. The Vanderbilt University law student didn't get to ask his question (which was on Iraq), but he said what happened in the hall after the debate was perhaps the most informative moment of the evening.
He said John McCain stayed around for a few minutes and then quickly left, but Barack Obama stuck around for about 30 minutes afterward signing autographs and snapping photos with the participants.
Raybin said that personal touch made a strong impression on almost everyone at the debate.
Raybin said he was undecided but leaning toward Obama before the debate, but he had pretty much made up his mind now.
"It really struck a chord that Senator Obama stayed," Raybin said. "Him sticking around resonated with people. He seemed genuinely interested and curious about real people. He asked people their names and what they did."
Raybin, 23, said some people who didn't get to ask their questions in the debate actually got to ask him the questions.
"It's hard to blame Senator McCain for leaving," Raybin said. "I understand he's very busy and got a lot to do."
(full article #2)
Suburban Turmoil: Mommy in the Middle
By: Lindsay Ferrier
Posted: Friday, October 10, 2008 1:18 am
A little over a decade ago, I went to Washington expecting to be inspired by the political process, and mentored by some of the biggest names in the news business. ... The experience taught me that politics was a dirty game, one that was carefully orchestrated and staged, and one I had no interest in playing. I felt disillusioned by a government that seemed laden with corruption and out of touch with reality.
...
I came to the presidential debate as a member of the media, but in the end I felt more like Dorothy entering Oz, hoping things had changed since I last mingled among the politicos, and that I would magically find the answers I was seeking. Instead, just as I did 13 years ago, I found the Washington Wizards to be flawed and out-of-touch, still hiding behind the imposing gates of Oz.
There is one difference this time around. It’s not my youth that gets the politicians’ attention anymore; it’s my demographic.
I’m a middle class, moderate Mommy in the Middle. I’m not tied down to any one party. I’m concerned about taxes, the economy, the environment, and the rising cost of health care. It becomes abundantly clear as Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama pose and posture on the debate stage that I’m the one that they want. And they’ll say whatever it takes to get me.
...
Trying to decide between the two men feels much like reading a choose-your-own-adventure novel, but with things the way they are, both outcomes seem bleak. Once again, I find myself mulling over which of these candidates is the lesser of two evils.
And I’m still not entirely sure.
(full article #3)