Commission formalizes veep debate changes
The Commission on Presidential Debates has formalized format changes to the Oct. 2 face-off here between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.
As reported over the weekend, both campaigns approved of a new structure that calls for shorter answers, but will allow for more topics to be covered.
Previously, the Commission — a private non-profit that has been organizing debates since 1988 – announced that the vice-presidential debate will consist of eight ten-minute issue segemants, with time reserved for closing statements.
Now, answers will be capped at 90-seconds, followed by two-minute discussion for each question. The candidates will also stand at lecterns, as opposed to sharing a table, which had been proposed earlier.
The changes were negotiated by top advisers for each side: Illinois Congressman Rahm Emmanuel for Barack Obama, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham for John McCain.
I don’t think Joe Biden can state his own name in under 90 seconds. He is simply the most brilliant man to ever walk the face of the earth. He’ll probably mention it a couple times, too.
To say that “the Commission — a private non-profit that has been organizing debates since 1988″, seems a bit disingenuous. Both sides are headed by lobbyists from the largest of sectors… Big Pharma, and gambling. While I understand that the debates make no money, they are, ipso facto, commercials for the product that each promotes which is the candidate, and yes Virginia, they do Santa Claus favors for them.
The League of Women Voters was a non-profit organization.
As for the ’short answers’, that will indeed cause mental exercise for the lofty Joe Biden. Maybe we can even the field by making the word “awesome” ineligible…