Wednesday, August 6, 2008

ABC Dealt Out Of Presidential Debates

MSNBC's First Read reports that the moderators for the three Presidential Debates have been chosen. They are Jim Lehrer of PBS, Tom Brokaw of NBC, and Bob Schieffer of CBS. Gwen Ifill of PBS will moderate the Vice Presidential debate.

This lineup is nearly identical to 2004, except that Brokaw is replacing Charlie Gibson in the second debate. Whether this is a direct response to ABC's much-criticized Philadelphia debate during the Democratic primaries, I don't know -- I'm frankly not sure about how these things are negotiated -- but it's probably a slight break for Obama. It's also a bit of a break in tradition for ABC, which has moderated far more debates than the other major networks (see table below).

One break for McCain? The first and third debates will feature both candidates seated, rather than standing at their podiums (the second is a town-hall format), depriving Obama of the opportunity to fully leverage the aesthetics of his height advantage.



(h/t DemConWatch)

-- Nate Silver at 9:58 PM  

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34 comments

Russell said...
This post has been removed by the author.
August 6, 2008 10:05 PM  
Omir the Storyteller said...

Nate, I'm not sure where you're getting your information about Edwin Newman, but he was affiliated with NBC (radio and television) at least as far back as Jack Kennedy's assassination. He might have been billed as a correspondent for the Sun in some sort of sponsorship agreement, but it's not like he was independent of the TV networks.

August 6, 2008 10:20 PM  
Sam said...

"It's also a bit of a break in tradition for ABC, which has moderated far more debates than the other major networks (see table below)."

Is PBS not a major network?

Debates moderated: PBS:16, ABC:10, CBS:3, NBC:2, CNN:2.

August 6, 2008 10:36 PM  
MATT J. H. said...

News out Today. "Senator Hillary Clinton's name has re-emerged among Barack Obama's short list for potential VP candidates"

I don't know if Hillary would be a good pick or a disaster, but it would be exciting. Americans who love a good story would vote for that ticket just to see what happens next. The cable news shows would salivate, and McCain would be in bad shape for press coverage against those two.

Even thought this opens Barack up to plenty of criticism, that ticket would be like a train moving down the tracks. The election would be over.

August 6, 2008 10:51 PM  
tesaar said...

Clinton re-emerging on medias lists means nothing.

August 6, 2008 10:59 PM  
icebergslim said...

of course this was a result of that ABC Debate.

That debate and the Las Vegas Debate was proven to be tilted towards Clinton. And it was proven that George S. actually asked questions from the media hack, Sean Hannity.

Sorry, that did hurt ABCs credibility, that is journalistic credibility.

August 6, 2008 11:01 PM  
Patrick said...

If anything it decreases the odds of Obama picking her, because of a desire to generate buzz with an unexpected choice.

August 6, 2008 11:03 PM  
icebergslim said...

Hillary back on a list she NEVER WAS ON? How clever?

Really, the Clintons are a bitter bunch, right now.

We don't need that drama and baggage they bring along. Hell, you can't talk to Hillary without it going through 50 committees before a sit down. That is the Clinton way, let's pass on them.

August 6, 2008 11:03 PM  
Eric P. said...

I don't know that NBC/Brokaw and CBS/Schieffer will be any less of a disgrace than ABC/Gibson, but perhaps this will teach a lesson for these "moderators" not to get their debate prep from right-wing talk radio.

August 6, 2008 11:08 PM  
Foretold Future said...

I had a nice hearty laugh when I read that ABC was being passed up for the debates. Well deserved after that horrible display of what they called a debate. Looks like that "debate" bit them in the ass at the worst possible moment. I hope C.G. and G.S. enjoyed their five minutes of fame. It came at a very steep cost.

August 6, 2008 11:15 PM  
sulthernao said...

Good riddance. That ABC debate was an absolute mockery of journalism and the entire democratic process.

August 7, 2008 12:39 AM  
DarienCrow said...

I'm sure that Virginia Conservative meant recent history about Ohio. The electoral map and voting trends took some big twists and turns through our very short history.

It's really a shame that everybody just argues. Don't you know that is why there is a blog space here? If Nate Silver just wanted to try his hand at poll averaging this place would look more like Real Clear Politics where you can actually get some news... not just bias and opinion. This is the fastest way to create buzz at your expense... unless your time is worth nothing to you.

No one is going to change the mind of anyone. Either you are a capitolist, a socialist, or you really don't care which. One of those three. If I try to alter your way of thinking it's like trying to talk the terrorist out of cutting my head off just because I'm not a "good muslim". It just doesn't change a thing.

If you ask me if I am better off now than I was 8 years ago the answer is an immediate yes. My income has tripled, I own a $500,000 house, I got married to the best woman I have ever known and I'm happier than I have ever been. I truly believe if Obama is elected that will all change. So I probably have a pretty good reason to not want his kind of "change".

I have tried to be as respectful as I can with this explaination.

August 7, 2008 12:48 AM  
DarienCrow said...

It came out today that Hillary is putting hreself up for nomination at the convention. She probably got the word that she is not going to be picked. So it's my guess they want her to still believe she's under consideration.

But that's just my opinion I could be wrong.

August 7, 2008 12:51 AM  
Lupercal said...

"I have tried to be as respectful as I can with this explaination."

i can appreciate your honesty. refreshing. i am an obama supporter but i can appreciate your logic and reason for not wanting him. i think that for the regular voter, ideological bent doesn't change a whole lot. a lot of republicans don't like bush. they want someone new, but only a small amount, at most 15%-at most- will vote for obama. everyone will grudgingly vote for their party.

For those who aren't politically involved, that's a different. they don't have an ideological bent. and if you can get them involved in active citizenship, then these will support you. Those are the one who change their minds about who to support. I mean, republicans don't always have the best policies for rural america, but they often vote republican. it's because, republicans have learned how to engage them, and how to relate to them before they became fully involved in politics and didn't a political frame to view their everyday life.

August 7, 2008 1:15 AM  
Robby said...

DarienCrow, why are you still here? You have repeatedly insisted that this site is biased in terms of its coverage.

If you remain at a site that you vocally assert to be journalistically unreliable, you are either an idiot or an asshole.

August 7, 2008 1:55 AM  
Michael said...

This reminds me of an old Saturday Night Live fake ad from the Bush-Dukakis race. "Bush. He's taller."

I am actually curious now. What is the predictive power of the candidates' height, neglecting all other factors. I seem to recall a study from the early 90s that concluded that height is a statistically significant factor in major elections, including President, Congress, and Governors.

August 7, 2008 5:28 AM  
Kennyb said...

ABC News has truly lowered their journalistic standards. Just go look at their web page: "Top Headlines" include "Top Stoner Flicks", "Lisa Marie Eating for Three", "Villains Take Center Stage", "Puppies Rescued Through Floor", "Hoax Exposes Sex Ad Responses", "Video Resumes: Light, Camera, Hire Me!", a book review about a stalker, an internet surfing addict rehab piece, and a day after competing energy proposals by the candidates, their political headline story is: "Michelle Obama: Barack is No Elitist. Potential first lady weighs in on ads mocking her husband as a celebrity."

They should be barred from journalism, not just the debates. Disgusting. When you read this post, go back and check their site again and see what new drivel they have up there.

August 7, 2008 7:01 AM  
R-Boy said...

Darien,

Minor Quibbles,

Unless there is no mortgage on your home, you don't own it, the bank does. Further, I don't know where you live, but 500K in DC gets you a middle-class 1500 sq foot rowhouse, but in Atlanta would get you a 4bdr, 3ba home.

Further, I suspect there is some youth bias to your income situation (as is the case with mine). My yearly income went up 8x during the Bush admin, but it had nothing to do with with Bush policies, but because I graduated college, grad school, post-grad, and had started from a job that paid 12 bucks an hour repairing bowling lane machines when it was 2000.

What I can say is that the Bush admin took a projected budget surplus over this period of 3 trillion, and started with a 3 trillion debt. We now have a 9 trillion debt and no surplus.

That...is going to harm this nation long-term

R-Boy endorses neither candidate as he is majorly jaded.

August 7, 2008 8:07 AM