Bill Manzi.com

The Presidential debate formats have been agreed to, with a format that will allow for a wide ranging debate between the two presidential candidates. From the New York Times:

The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate, advisers to both campaigns said Saturday. At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

The first debate, by campaign agreement, will be on foreign policy, with the third and last debate covering economic policy. Here is the schedule.

September 26, 2008: Presidential debate with foreign policy focus, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS

October 2, 2008:Vice Presidential debate, Washington University, St. Louis, MO

October 7, 2008: Presidential debate in a town hall format, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

October 15, 2008:Presidential debate with domestic policy focus, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Now lets talk about the formats, and how certain Republican posters on this blog have once again been proved wrong. I will not mention any names (Jules Gordon) but lets look at what has been said and what is actually going to happen. That Republican poster has said that Barack Obama was afraid to meet in town hall style formats, which is exactly what debate two is. The other two debates have been opened up to allow a more free wheeling exchange. So much for Obama refusing to engage in real debate.
But what about the Vice Presidential debates. It appears that the McCain camp has taken the position that these must be tightly scripted affairs, with little or no room for real debate. From the New York Times:

Commission members wanted a relaxed format that included time for unpredictable questioning and challenges between the two vice-presidential candidates. On Wednesday, the commission unanimously rejected a proposal sought by advisers to Ms. Palin and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, to have the moderator ask questions and the candidates answer, with no time for unfettered exchanges. Advisers to Mr. Biden say they were comfortable with either format.

Well now maybe we can use this post to discuss who is afraid of town hall type debate formats, and who is running away from a free-wheeling debate that gives plenty of time for give and take. Its not the Democrats. Why wouldn’t the McCain camp want everyone to see how well versed Governor Palin is? Thats a shame. Read the New York Times story here.

Shame

The new “we can solve it” ad. Maybe we can solve it, but not if we keep listening to the oil apologists who say that we must keep shipping billions of dollars overseas to hostile nations because that is what the “free market” dictates. What is left out of the oil industry and Republican bromides is that OPEC is a cartel that has in fact subverted the “free market”. The governments of the oil exporting nations have in many cases nationalized energy production and exports because they wish to subvert the market and leave the American consumer stuck with billions of dollars of additional costs. Our governments answer? Ask the Saudi’s to ramp up production. Invest in renewables? Why bother. Let the governments of hostile nations, like Chavez in Venezuela and the Iranians get rich off of our citizens, and continue to do nothing. We need to be building renewable sources of energy now to fend off the disaster at our door. And it should be clear to anyone who understands markets that if the international community saw a real effort to create renewables by the United States the price of oil would likely sink. Yes we can impact the price of oil right now by getting serious about renewables. Build, baby build! (Wind Turbines)

The Obama response, with cameos by Phil Gramm and Carly Fiorina. I thought both Fiorina and Gramm had joined Dick Cheney at that “undisclosed location”.

The newest ad wars, with McCain attacking Obama over the association with ex-Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines. McCain, reeling from the change in tone in the campaign since the economic meltdown on Wall Street, will try to tie Obama to the Fannie and Freddie collapse through ads like this. On the campaign trail McCain upped the ante on this issue, blasting Obama in personal terms and associating him directly with the problems at Fannie and Freddie. It is his only hope of diverting attention from serial Republican mismanagement of this economy.

You knew it was coming. Obama strikes at a sensitive subject in light of the meltdown on Wall Street, the Bush plan, supported by McCain, to privatize Social Security and invest those funds on Wall Street. Has to be considered effective, and will likely be a bludgeon used by Obama during the debates.