NYT: To Keep Foot Clear of Mouth, Debaters Plot Each Tiny Step
By PATRICK HEALY and MICHAEL COOPER
Published: August 19, 2007
....Each candidate has a personal way of preparing, with an eye toward gaining an edge in the debates and, by extension, with the voters. Sometimes, the deliberations are over when to improvise, so their answers do not seem too canned, and they do that with varying amounts of success. Mitt Romney and Mrs. Clinton read up on policy and talk tactics with advisers; Mr. Romney also comes armed with sayings that will make sound bites in news accounts. Mr. Giuliani’s lack of preparation stands out among the major candidates, and it was underscored this month when his jet landed in Des Moines at 7:10 a.m. for an 8 a.m. debate....
***
All the candidates try to anticipate questions and plot their answers. So when Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama clashed over foreign policy at a recent event — with a comment from him that he would be willing to hold diplomatic talks with the leaders of hostile nations, and one from her that it would be a mistake to do so without preconditions — the dustup was a product of preparation and strategic decisions on both sides.
Mr. Obama was primed for the question: Aides had seen it among the videotaped questions submitted on YouTube to CNN for the debate. Mr. Obama and his advisers did not script an answer beforehand, aides say, but they were all clear that if the question were asked, Mr. Obama would speak about why he would break with the Bush administration’s diplomatic approach.
Mrs. Clinton had been set to underscore what her campaign aides consider to be her commander-in-chief toughness and her experience in Washington — even encouraged by some advisers to use action verbs and adjectives like “lead,” “strong” and “experienced.” So she chose to disagree, forcefully but carefully, with Mr. Obama: She warned against being a propaganda tool of dictators, and tut-tutted about the way “our president” should conduct foreign policy.
***
...at this early stage of the campaign, the candidates are still introducing themselves to many Americans. They do not want to appear too aggressive or too negative in the debates, advisers say. Ideally, they want to strike a balance between being positive and drawing memorable contrasts with their rivals....
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/us/politics/19debate.html?hp
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
