Gallup Will Choose Town Hall Participants In Presidential Debate

[Oilwellian]

Now why do I feel uneasy about this? Isn't Missouri a strong republican state? :eyes:

In the second presidential debate, the town meeting participants will pose their questions to the candidates. The town meeting participants will review their questions with the moderator before the debate for the sole purpose of avoiding duplicate questions. The participants in the town meeting, to be chosen by the Gallup Organization, will be undecided voters from the St. Louis, Missouri, standard metropolitan statistical area.

http://www.debates.org/pages/news_040813.html

[jpgray]

1. Gallup's methodology is skewed

They take something like 38% R and 32% D, whereas the actual 2000 voting numbers are closer to 40% D and 36% R.

[rocktivity]

4. What's to stop either side from seeing the questions beforehand?

:headbang:
rocknation

[jpgray]

7. The moderator sees them, supposedly no one else

But as the moderator is ABC's Charlie Gibson, and he has a reputation of being less than fair to Kerry, I'm not sure what will happen with that.

[The Zanti Regent]

2. Stacking the deck again!

This will be the moment to see John Kerry go ALL IN against a quartet of PRESSTITUTES and a biased audience...

[gatorboy]

5. Is this the same debate

where they are going to check individual's questions in advance and if they sway too much away from their original question, they'll be cut off?

[jpgray]

9. That's the one (nt)

[Oilwellian]

8. WE know they're stacking the deck...

but does Kerry? Sure hope so.

[alittlelark]

3. uh, yeah....Gallup

I feel soooo confident now:puke:

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Reviewing the questions for the sole purpose...

of avoiding duplicate questions my ass! It's so they can be handed over for prepared answers piped into Bush's ear.

Also, part of the agreement states that if the participant deviates from the original question, the moderator is to stop the participant. It's all highly scripted.

No wonder Bush agreed to all three.

[still_one]

10. It won't matter if Kerry is good

[Oilwellian]

11. And...

you know he will be. :D

[Suzie57]

12. I work in St. Louis County

The City & County and neighboring Illinois counties will go to Kerry, the outlaying Missouri counties will go to Bush. If they go with a fair mix it should be ok. If they favor a percentage for the Republicans it may pose a problem but hopefully Kerry can handle it.

[henslee]

13. I also would not put it past a troubled Republican to throw in a zinger.

Not every one is a robot.

[benfranklin1776]

14. I think it is the use of Gallup that is more troubling

Between their biased polls that overweight projected Republican turnout, skewing every published result in favor of the Republican candidate

(See: http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/002806.html)

,and the fact that their chairman Mr. Clifton, (See: http://gmj.gallup.com/content/content.asp?ci=724) donated a significant sum to an ultraconservative Republican candidate for Georgia Senate, (See: http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?txtName=Clifton&NumOfThou=0&txt2004=Y&submit=Go%21) this makes their role as the ones selecting the audience questioners highly suspect.

This raises serious questions about their political impartiality, to say the least.

No matter though JFK will handle the questioners even though the deck may be stacked against him.