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Debate-format forum returns for second round in Citrus
Words are flying everywhere as debate fever grips the nation. Millions of voters across the land are tuning in to watch the presidential contenders, and their sidekicks, verbally spar with each other in a series of debates that began Thursday and will run through Oct. 13.
Not to be outdone, candidates for elective office in Citrus County will duke it out themselves at a debate Tuesday night at the Beverly Hills Recreation Association building on the Civic Circle. The event will be the second debate sponsored this election season by the Beverly Hills Civic Association and the St. Petersburg Times.
Unlike the national debates, the local organizers do not have 32 pages of rules and requirements for the candidates. In fact, the details are contained on one page, with space left over. But the format will be radically different than what is being used on the national stage or, for that matter, in any other local campaign forum.
The major difference is that the candidates will address their questions to each other. This will be the only time during the campaigns that they will have such an opportunity to clarify each other's positions or to raise issues that may have escaped the attention of the public and the press.
Time constraints, plus the number of candidates on the ballot, will limit the number of questions allowed as well as the length of the answers. But it should still allow ample opportunity for points to be made. Brevity, after all, is a virtue.
The format also will allow the candidates to give closing comments and, in a wrinkle added after the first Civic Club/Times debate in August, the moderator will ask a question of the candidates.
Among the suggestions offered after that forum was that the moderators become more involved to ensure that key issues are raised for the candidates to address. The feeling was that if the candidates miss the opportunity to delve into important matters, the moderator should be able to do so.
The organizers rejected the notion that the moderators alone quiz the candidates or that the audience members should ask the questions. While these formats are fine, the organizers wanted something different, something that the voters and the candidates will not see anywhere else on the campaign trail.
The first round, in August, had its highs and lows. Audience members got to see the candidates think on their feet and be spontaneous. They could hear what the candidates themselves felt were the important issues. They also could weigh just how the candidates worded their questions and gain some insight into their personalities.
The format was awkward in that most of the races in the primary election had multiple candidates, giving little opportunity for any one-on-one debate. This time around, the field has been winnowed and the largest number of candidates in any race is three.
Also, the August debate was a novelty for the candidates, who had no experience in such a format. Now, most of them have been through the exercise and they should be better prepared. The smart ones will be, anyway.
The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the candidates and their supporters will be milling around, pressing the flesh and handing out literature before the fun begins. Come on by and chat with the local hopefuls, then stick around for the debates. You are likely to learn something new over the next hour or so.
We promise to do everything possible to get you out early enough for you to race home and catch the debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards. Sure, that one is important, but unlike the Beverly Hills event, those candidates won't be addressing each other directly.
As Governator Arnold would say, what a bunch of girlie-men.
-- Greg Hamilton can be reached at 860-7301 or e-mail at hamilton@sptimes.com