Presidential debates scheduled for Jan. 23 & 24

The group that produced last year's gubernatorial and U.S. Senate debates announced plans this morning for televised presidential debates on Jan. 23 for Republicans and Jan 24 for Democrats.

Three major candidates for both parties (Giuliani, McCain and Romney / Clinton, Edwards and Obama) have already been invited. Any candidate who polls at least 10 percent in a Mason-Dixon survey can participate. That provision is designed to prevent a Max Linn-like situation. Linn successfully inserted himself into a debate in Tampa between Jim Davis and Charlie Crist, creating a bit of a stir.

The one-hour debates will be shown live and moderated by a "marque" broadcast journalist, with questions coming from a panel of other reporters. A location has not been set, but it will be a college campus.

Decision 2008: Before You Vote is being arranged by Leadership Florida, the Florida Press Association and Florida Public Broadcasting Service. Organizers dismissed talk that candidates would shy away because of possible party penalties related to Florida moving up its primary to Jan. 29.

"We full expect given the critical importance that Florida played in 2004 and 2000 in presidential debates ... that candidates for both parties will wish to participate," said Jeff Bartel, chairman of Leadership Florida.

Comments

What if Romney isn't polling 10%?

I hope they do a better job than the chintzy cheap looking poorly produced debates last year. Or that no one shows.

I surveyed Mason Dixon this morning… he’s voting for the guy with the itchy Kucin… and he played a request for me after I won the “Backwards CD Challenge” – it was “Pave Paradise to put up a parking lot”.

with Fred getting into the race July 4th, The Stormin' Mormon might be sidelined.

[Paul D. Harvill]

I'm basically keeping out of the presidential politics until the parties choose their candidates.

Which is why no commentary on such postings.

The Stormin' Mormon, His Holiness Rev. Yuckabee, Miss Julie Annie, Brownnose, McCain't and the rest of those yo-yo's
need to line up jobs in the private sector after the 2008 tidal wave. Cushy corporate board seats, Foxnews, evangelical institutions of "hire" learning, etc., loom in their futures.

Last year, Max Linn, who appeared on the ballot in all 67 Counties of Florida as a Candidate for Governor, had to sue to get into both Governor Debates. The judges in each of the two trials ruled in Max's favor. Your tax dollars were used by Florida Public Broadcasting to appeal the judge's ruling for the first Debate.

Now, Florida Public Broadcasting is at it again, deciding who you can see and who you can hear from in a Presidential Debate.

Regardless of how you feel about Max Linn, this is a matter of your tax dollars being used to censor the Candidates that you get to hear from.

I urge all Candidates to not appear in this Debate, unless Leadership Florida does the honorable and ethical thing and invites all Candidates who are legally qualified to appear on the ballot in Florida as Candidates for President.