Presidential debate dates announced

Posted: Monday, November 19, 2007 4:19 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
The three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate were announced today by the Commission on Presidential Debates announced today as follows:

Presidential:
- Friday, September 26: University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS (focused on domestic policy)
- Tuesday, October 7: Belmont University, Nashville, TN (town meeting format with questions from audience members on stage with candidates and additional questions via the Internet)
- Wednesday, October 15: Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY (focused on foreign policy)

Vice presidential debate:
- Thursday, October 2 Washington University, St. Louis, MO (domestic and foreign policy)

Commission officials said they would have liked for a school West of the Mississippi to host at least one of the events, but Washington State -- one of only two Western schools to apply -- turned down the vice-presidential debate. Sixteen schools nationwide applied to host the event, which costs about $1.35 million to put on, commission officials said.

Some format changes were also announced. The first and third presidential debates, as well as the vice-presidential debate, will be comprised of eight, 10-minute “issue” segments.

“This change will also open the possibility of the moderator inviting candidates to question each other,” according to a release by the commission. “We want voters to benefit from as full an explanation of a topic as possible, and we feel certain that the candidates will welcome this change for the same reason.”

Each of the debates will be 90-minutes long, begin at 9 p.m. ET and moderated by a single moderator. Moderators have not been selected yet. The candidates will be seated at a table with the moderator in each debate, except during the town hall format.

Candidates invited to debate will have to be polling at 15% on average in five national polls (the commission is advised by Gallup) and must appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to have a mathematical chance of winning a majority vote of the electoral college.

Two backup sites were also announced: Centre College in Danville, Kent., and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

EMAIL THIS

Comments

Congrats to my college/law school Hofstra for securing a presidential debate!!!!

pat huntington ny (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 4:25 PM)

These the only dates Hillary could get her plants on the panels and in the audience?

Herm Justice, Trenton NY (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 4:33 PM)

Good thing they released the dates! That gives Hillary plenty of time to plan a house party to watch Obama debating the Republican nominee!

Ron, TX (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 4:33 PM)

Lets hope Russert or Matthews are not selected. All they care about is starting fights. They don't care about issues.

Russert is a lazy and his gotcha game wears thin after a while.

Dickie Flatts, Charlotte, NC (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 4:39 PM)

Washington University in St. Louis is 8 miles west of the Mississippi!

Jenifer, St. Louis, MO (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 4:45 PM)

Isn't St. Louis west of the Mississippi?

Chip, Cincinnati, OH (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:02 PM)

Wouldn't it be funnier than hell to have Hillary not make the cut, and the media spending all thier time flashing a camera on her for reactions.

That would mean democrats have a choice and we all know that's a lie. :-)

Dave, Tn (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:11 PM)

DUH---I think everybody will know who they will vote for by then

HMT (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:20 PM)

Washington University in St. Louis is, of course, west of the Mississippi. Perhaps the commission officials need to consult a map.

From the article:
"Commission officials said they would have liked for a school West of the Mississippi to host at least one of the events..."

Charlie, Austin, TX (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:21 PM)

Duh...last time I checked, St. Louis was west of the Mississippi.

John Doe, Seoul, Korea (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:26 PM)

Why did they pick three places where the average IQ is less than the number of women Clinton had in the White House???

Robert Kane, Sugar Land, TX (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:27 PM)

I'm hoping Edwards versus Huckabee
They seem honest and real

How about Obama versus Paul ?
Ron Paul is too much of an insurgent to get the Republican nomination.
He seems honest....
I can't get anywhere close to his domestic policy

The nightmare scenario: Clinton vs guiliani
Evil unleashed !!
Learn Chinese and make sure your children do, too

Sierra, SF (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:37 PM)

I recently boycotted CNN and decided to go to you guys here on MSNBC. The Q&A with the voter story this morning needs to be corrected. Pls correct the record. Pleeaasse do not let me switch to Fox.
http://cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2007/11/19/obama-takes-the-tough-questions/
The Republican-leaning lady even complimented Barack Obama later per this article:

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/obama-takes-terrorism-deadly-serious/

Marbw (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 5:42 PM)

This is a good thing. It allows Bill and Hillary plenty of time to determine where to be vacationing that is not within 1000 miles of any of the cities listed as host sites.

Mike K, Denver (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 6:24 PM)

'Bama's babies won't stop crying! Blame Hillary for everything!! That's a phenomenal tactic. You're the same recycled bunch of losers that supported Howard Dean. I hope you're as successful as you were last time. Go Deaniacs!! If he gets the nomination, 'Bama's babies will really be crying once the destructive forces of the Republican hate machine get their hands on him. Like it or not, politics is a dirty game and Washington DC is the field upon which it is played. Free yourselves from Obama's fantasyland and join Hillary and I in the real world! Nobody does a better demolition job than Hillary!! Let her loose on the Republicans and the White House is ours!! If not, best of luck to you losers!

Tim, New York, NY (Sent Monday, November 19, 2007 10:46 PM)

How about Richardson and Huckabee, two guys who probably place the best of the country before their own personal ambitions. It would be so nice to see someone else but Rudy or Milt or Clinton or Edwards or Obama. I'm already sick of all five of them. Contrary to what they believe, these are the five that we could do without and the country would definitely survive and perhaps prosper. Throw war monger McCain into that bunch too.

Opa2 (Sent Tuesday, November 20, 2007 1:18 AM)

And they have decided all this without consulting with the candidates. It seems to me that there was some considerable bickering about this the last few times. Perhaps that's why they decided on the format, the seating etc. so that it would not be debatable. My guess is that we will see changes when the candidates are known. What if one is so far ahead in the polls that a debate would be harmful to their standing? You would have to coerce them than to participate. Remember, nobody HAS to debate. Nixon, after 1960 nor Johnson ever debated, Ford did to his sorrow in 76 and Carter in 80 never should have taken on an actor. They will debate but only if they think it will not hurt them.

Opa2 (Sent Tuesday, November 20, 2007 1:27 AM)

Robert Sugarland Tx if a mental patient from Missouri escaped and went to Texas it would raise the intelligence level of BOTH states.

Rufus Gibbons, DC (Sent Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:00 AM)

Only in a free democratic society would you hear a chucklehead pundit on tv JC watts say havent we had enough debates,what forward thinking .What would people do with so much info on a canidate,why they might actually know a position and not a sound bite .When I was growing up News was serious done by serious men like Huntly & Brinkly,Walter,Morrow,boring stuff but filled with information now glitz and flash and human interest rule,just look at the sets and lighting for the debates on either side,they look like broadway,trying to catch a voters eye ,LOOK AMERICA SOMETHING SHINEY QUICK BEFORE ALL THE IMPORTANT ISSUES BITE YOU IN THE ASS.

kenn (Sent Tuesday, November 20, 2007 8:55 AM)

Does anyone know the DECEMBER 2007 Presidential Debate TV lineup/schedule and on what networks?

Jeanette Daley, Las Vegas, NV (Sent Sunday, November 25, 2007 11:20 PM)

There is one troubling and glaring observation.

The staging format.

Senator Clinton, is always center camera staged. As a general rule, the audience eyes are generally focus middle screen. If the director called for a two camera shot, from either left camera or right, Senator Clinton will be viewed.

Is the electorate so susceptible, to the concept of chilvalrous courtesy to be blinded this obvious staging, or are the format set designers taking predisposed to gender issues, which should not be an issue in presendential race. Aruguably, there seems to be an unfair advantage either standing or sitting positions in these debates. As equals in presidential candidacies, gender nor race should not be exploided, but it seems it is in this situation.

Why not pull straws for stage positions. That would seem simple and fair. It would have been less complicated, if position fairness was initially arranged, instead of this time in the race.

Note: The other candidates did receive a similar e-mailed observation.

Rene Cardenas, Bend Oregon (Sent Monday, January 21, 2008 1:45 PM)

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