Debate Report

While I'm working on other things for later, I just want to start at the beginning. The C4L party, it seems, was the only one to have access to the auditorium seating before hand. And they had put "reserved" signs on some of the sheets. Fortunately, someone with offical ID came out and told the press people for the other candidates what was going on, and invited them in to reserve their own seats.

I would say maybe 100 people total. I sat in the middle, in the 4th row, with Schlesinger people on my left and Lieberman people on my right. I wanted to see it straight on. The podiums were woodgrain. Left to right were Knibbs, Ferrucci, Lieberman, Schlesinger and Lamont in a semi-circle. Interesting how Joe was right in the middle for the second debate in a row -- boy, is he lucky to draw that position! So, the dynamic was the smaller party candidates to Joe's right and Alan and Ned to his left.

Questioners were Al Terzi from WFSB, Angela Dias from WTIC-AM news, and they were seated to the candidates' right. Schieffer was to the candidates' left, with a red-yellow-green light on the front of his table. Ned was last on stage when the candidates came out -- it wasn't a "Now the candidates" or anything like that. But, Ned was the only one, when he walked out to first stand behind the podium, then walk over to Bob Schieffer and shake his hand, and then walk all the way across the stage to shake Al and Angela's hand, then return to the podium. Joe's supporters next to me an behind me were nasty about that! Oh, look at how he brown-noses, the women behind me said, and the stuffy obnoxious men in suits next to me were saying that Ned is such an amateur, that he is too naive. I thought it was polite. But, even in the auditorium, when there was no audience but each other, they had to knock Ned. Nobody else there made comments -- the people who were there got tix from the campaigns, but seemed to respect that each person there was affiliated with a candidate and there was no peanut gallery --- except for Joe's boys, who talked amongst themselves when the two smaller-party candidates spoke.

Each candidate answered the same question for one minute, then each candidate got a 30-second comment period on what the other men said. Joe went over 4 times and then when Schieffer said, "Time's up," they cut his mike while he was still talking. Alan Schlesinger always spoke after Joe. I am betting this will not be visible on TV, because I bet the shot goes straight to AS as soon as Schieffer said, "Time's up." It was really pretty comical to see Joe talking on with no amplification in the theatre.

The candidates always spoke in the same order. So, unless they started with Alan or Ned, Joe was always followed by them. It was a great advantage to the R and D candidates.

Continues...