The Debate Over the Debates
EmailABC News’ Bret Hovell reports: And so begins the debate over the debates.
Senator John McCain Wednesday invited his newly-anointed fellow presumptive nominee to a string of casual debates at town hall-style meetings to take place over the course of the summer.
“I don’t think we need any big media-run productions, no processed questions from reporters, no spin rooms, just two Americans running for the highest office in the greatest nation on earth responding to the concerns of the people who’s trust that we must earn,” McCain told an audience in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The concept was modeled, McCain said, after a series of debates that would have been scheduled between President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Barry Goldwater for the 1964 presidential campaign.
The McCain campaign released a letter they had sent to Obama asking for 10 debates – one a week starting next week – that will lead up to the Democratic National Convention at the end of August. McCain said that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, had also reached out to David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager, in an attempt to work out the details.
“We would recommend a format that is less structured and lengthier than the McCain campaign suggests,” wrote Plouffe in an e-mail to reporters, saying that Obama would prefer to create an atmosphere of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, which were marked by hour-long speeches and hour-long rebuttals.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday afternoon, McCain responded to the idea of Lincoln-Douglass-like debates – but was insistent on the overall format being town hall meetings.
“If there is some way to modify the details of it then I’ll be glad to obviously discuss that,” McCain said. “But I want a town hall meeting…I think [the American people] have an ample opportunity to hear long speeches.”
McCain also said that he hoped he and Obama could arrive at the site of the first debate – proposed by McCain to be in New York City next week – on the same airplane. He said he liked the symbolism of them arriving together.
“I even suggested we travel to them together, on the same plane,” McCain said. “Probably help out on energy savings. Given our expenses, I know my campaign would agree to it.”
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Long debates. No chairs. Stick to relevant political issues. We don’t need to hear about campaign tactics, innuendos, or gossip. the war, the economy, the border, the environment, energy, education.
Posted by: Louis | June 4, 2008, 3:11 pm 3:11 pm
Obama is terrible at debates. he won’t agree to any of them. Let’s see how long he can put off a debate. It’s been 5 states now.
The man is a disaster.
Posted by: s.b. | June 4, 2008, 3:17 pm 3:17 pm
Obama should make him pledge to a minimum of six of these up front, and the longer the better. Obama can speak to issues in great detail, with obvious intellectual acuity. Look at his sit down interviews with reporters and editorial boards. McCain’s team is going to regret this ploy.
Posted by: brian in nc | June 4, 2008, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
Obama has had his high water mark now for the slow bleed. When the little womans rant is released he is toast. Any one who reads the S-2433 bill alone should after trowing up understand far out of the American Path this bozo is he has read to much about overtalking and push ideas. Now it is time to have the debate, he asked for it now it is time he will sink like a stone, do nothing, except the standard tax and spend ….cut and run……can you say 50 states!
Posted by: E.F Baxter | June 4, 2008, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm
A great idea. If this campaign can be about issues and making decisions for governance over the next 4 years, all Americans win.
McCain may have an advantage in terms of ease and confidence, but the longer a single meeting, the more it could favor the participant with more endurance.
Posted by: JTS | June 4, 2008, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
I am a Republican, currently planning to vote for Obama. I think this is an outstanding proposal, and I agree with Senator McCain that the format should be more like a town-hall, we don’t need any hour long speeches.
I particularly like the idea that the candidates fly to these events on the same airplane. I am sick, sick, sick of vitriolic exchanges, character assassination, and condemnations by association. If these two guys could pull off 10 of these events and treat each other with the respect they both deserve start to finish, it would be yet another demonstration to the world that after 232 years, the United States is finally getting it right.
Human civilization has reached the end of the slack line on this planet. We are facing problems now that we either solve, or risk the complete unraveling of 5000 years of achievement.
We need to learn to compete with conscience and comity. This is a great opportunity for two outstanding Americans to show us all the way.
Posted by: ted in pdx | June 4, 2008, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
Good comment ted in pdx:
I also want to see both of these candidates respect each other and receive respect. Too much hyperbole and venom has been launched at both, who don’t deserve such treatment.
As a moderate, I have never been happier with the choices between the candidates. It seems like informal debates between these candidates would be a great idea and would promote civility among their supporters as well.
Posted by: Wade | June 4, 2008, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm