Please explain to me why they get the questions for the debate beforehand

[sventvkg]

?...I mean what the hell does this prove? That they can do good research in advance and come up with good soundbytes for the camera? I'm sorry, but this is a huge sham, and I don't see how we stand for it. This is the dem and the repugs fault equally. Obviously it's all a big staged event. The election, the campaigns, and the entire Govt. Doesnt' this bother anyone else?

[MallRat]

1. The moderator gets the questions beforehand, not the candidates.

...or at least, that's their story and they're sticking to it.

-MR

[skylarmae]

2. When do they get the questions - how far in advance?

[MercutioATC]

6. About 3 seconds in advance...as they're asked.

The candidates don't get the questions beforehand. In fact, nobody but the moderator has them beforehand.

[YEM]

3. Where did you hear that??

I heard Charlie Gibson and the gallup people get the questions, but not the candidates. That would be Bull shit if they did.

Do you have a link about this?

[liberal N proud]

4. Did you see this somewhere?

The first debate, it was at least stated at the begining of the debate that the candidates did not have the questions ahead of time. But that does not mean tonights will follow the same protocol.
If you have other info, please share.

[4_Legs_Good]

5. I heard an interview with the Gallup guy today...

and he said they don't get the questions. 2 nights ago on John Stewart, the moderator for the 3rd debate also said they don't get the questions early.

david

[On the Road]

10. Oh, For a Second I Thought You Were Saying

"Jon Stewart, the moderator for the 3rd debate..."

now THAT would be something.

[4_Legs_Good]

11. Hee hee, it sure would!

[sventvkg]

7. OMG, Thank God!!

I didn't think they got them beforehand but I misunderstood some threads on it and Got scared and posted. Thanks for clearing it up.

[troublemaker]

8. The candidates do not get them in advance (at least according to the rules

[54anickel]

9. They don't, here's an article that explain how it's all "supposed" to go

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16129-2004Oct7.html

snip>

If they were undecided, they qualified, but "those are few and far between," Newport said in an interview. He pointed out that the most recent Gallup poll, published this week, showed zero percent of American voters undecided, the first time anyone can remember that happening.

If the Missourians answered that they favored one candidate, Newport said, they were then asked whether there was any chance they would vote for a different candidate. If they said there was a chance, Newport said, they were told they could join the town hall pool.

snip>

"We just recruit the people," Newport said. "We have no idea what's the question they are interested in asking. The Commission on Presidential Debates has no idea, and neither do the campaigns."

Rules established during hard bargaining by the campaigns made it so. The 32-page agreement specifies that "the number of 'soft' Bush supporters shall equal the number of 'soft' Kerry supporters." It requires Gibson to choose an equal number of questions from each group and to make sure that he evenly divides the questions between two subject fields: the economy and domestic policy; and foreign policy and homeland security.

Only questions submitted to Gibson in advance will be permitted. There will be no follow-ups. In fact, the questioner's microphone will go dead once the question has been asked. Deviations will not be allowed.

more...

[bush equals idiot]

12. It's in several articles today.

There were a lot of weird questions I had to have answered because I was freaking out about it too.

Like "questions have to be approved in advance." By who, how?

But articles today all say Bush will know n-u-uthing...nu-u-uting.

Signed

Klinks fat assistant, whatever his name was.

[54anickel]

13. Heh, that was Sargent Schultz!

[Sensitivity]

14. I read that there is a risk of Bush's spies getting to Qs

Couldn't they breakin to Gibson's house or laptop etc without
him knowing?

[AirAmFan]

15. Debate Commission: campaigns have NOT seen the questions in advance

Unless they're lying or parsing words to imply the opposite of what they're really doing, the Commission on Presidential Debates rules do not let Kerry or Stupid see tonight's questions in advance. On their official website, they say, "neither the Commission nor the campaigns will review the questions":

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From http://www.debates.org/pages/news_041007a.html

"Commission Statement on October 8, 2004 Town Hall Style Debate

October 7, 2004

The Commission on Presidential Debates has received a number of inquiries concerning certain aspects of the town hall debate to be held on the campus of Washington University at St. Louis on Friday, October 8, 2004. The debate will be moderated by Charlie Gibson of ABC News. The questions will be formulated by the town hall participants and neither the Commission nor the campaigns will review the questions. Mr. Gibson, as moderator, will be solely responsible for selecting the questions that will be asked during the debate, keeping in mind the goals of addressing a wide range of topics during the debate and attempting to spend approximately equal amounts of time on foreign and domestic issues.

The town hall participants will be comprised of uncommitted voters, including uncommitted voters not described as "soft Bush" or "soft Kerry." The details of the participant selection process were worked out at the Commission's request in discussions between Dr. Frank Newport, Editor-in Chief of the Gallup Poll, and representatives of the Bush and Kerry campaigns. Dr. Newport has described the format as follows in an article posted today at Gallup's website (www.gallup.com):

Friday Night's Debate

Friday night's debate will be in a town hall format. Although ABC News' Charles Gibson will be moderating the debate, the questions will be asked by a random sample of uncommitted voters from the St. Louis Metropolitan area, selected by The Gallup Organization. ...

The basic procedure is very similar to those used when Gallup conducts a normal poll. Gallup begins with a random probability sample of the St. Louis area, asks people a series of questions to determine if they qualify as an uncommitted voter, and then invites them to be a participant in the debate if they qualify.

Although over 100 participants will be on stage behind Bush and Kerry, the 90-minute format means that only about 20 people will actually end up asking questions. Under the terms of the debate agreement hammered out by the two campaigns, moderator Gibson will select the questioners and will attempt to keep the questions roughly balanced between foreign and domestic issues. "