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You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / Debate Prep Open Thread

Debate Prep Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  July 30, 20196:18 pm| 66 Comments

This post is in: 2020 Elections, I'm With Her, Open Threads

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It took over 100 people eight days to build the set for CNN’s Democratic debates. Nine 53-foot semi-trucks were needed to haul in all the equipment. pic.twitter.com/vc3o2nXurY

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) July 30, 2019

About 3500 people are expected in attendance at the Fox Theatre. Audience is made up of members of the community, and guests from the various campaigns and DNC.

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) July 30, 2019

(Well, at least it’s amortized across two nights.)

Tonight’s candidates, as they will appear on stage, per CBS: Marianne Williamson, Tim Ryan, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke, John Hickenlooper, John Delaney, Steve Bullock.

I’ll probably be ‘watching’ through the Guardian’s ever-excellent liveblog. More options here, per NYMag.

How’d you deal with McConnell?

WARREN: Win the majority and eliminate the filibuster

BIDEN: Work with him he’ll be better when Trump’s gone

BENNET: Defeat him

INSLEE: Ax the filibuster

GILLIBRAND: Confront him

HICKENLOOPER: Repeat his words back to him so he feels validated

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 27, 2019

On CBSN, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offers advice to Democratic candidates on the upcoming debate in Detroit: “People in Michigan don’t care about the president’s twitter feed” https://t.co/H9n7JJUntx pic.twitter.com/NYpAxYioMr

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 29, 2019

See y’all around 7:45pm EDT, Murphy the Trickster God willing…

This week’s debate rules: Interrupt if you have to, talk longer than the allotted minute if you must, and above all, seek a controversy-stirring moment that cable television will play for days afterward. A preview of Detroit, from me and @waposean: https://t.co/boEUWuMU5G

— Matt Viser (@mviser) July 29, 2019

Tonight’s debate is in Rashida Tlaib’s District

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) July 30, 2019

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Previous Post: « Tuesday Afternoon Open Thread
Next Post: Detroit DNC Debate, Night One »

Reader Interactions

66Comments

  1. 1.

    germy

    July 30, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    We don’t have cable. I’m hoping we can watch the debate on youtube, rather than the CNN website.

  2. 2.

    raven

    July 30, 2019 at 6:33 pm

    I puled the trigger and cancelled my Dish Network in favor of youtube TV. I’ve had it for over a month and $50 a month for 70 channels is a lot better than $169 per for 300 I don’t watch.

  3. 3.

    Ohio Mom

    July 30, 2019 at 6:34 pm

    Gosh, how did the League of Women Voters manage all those years of sponsoring presidential debates without a set design budget?

  4. 4.

    chris

    July 30, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    @germy: Try this. “Politics” is msnbc. “Top news” is cnn. click and scroll to see video.

  5. 5.

    Hilfy

    July 30, 2019 at 6:39 pm

    Is Twitter offline in the rest of the country? It’s off in Sacramento, CA.

  6. 6.

    MomSense

    July 30, 2019 at 6:39 pm

    How do you solve a problem like McConnell?
    How do you stop an asshole – vote him out.

  7. 7.

    schrodingers_cat

    July 30, 2019 at 6:42 pm

    @germy: CNN would probably stream it. NBC did the last debate.

  8. 8.

    Van Buren

    July 30, 2019 at 6:44 pm

    Why do I have the belief that media coverage tomorrow will focus on “mistakes” and not good answers?

  9. 9.

    debbie

    July 30, 2019 at 6:49 pm

    @MomSense:

    I take it you missed the NPR interview of McConnell this afternoon? Just as well, I was shrieking at my radio through the whole thing.

  10. 10.

    dmsilev

    July 30, 2019 at 6:51 pm

    @MomSense: We make him minority leader and then override the inevitable obstruction. That’s really the only answer.

  11. 11.

    germy

    July 30, 2019 at 6:53 pm

    https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/07/30/democratic-debates-philippe-reines-trump-clinton-227487

    I Played Trump in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Debate Prep. Here’s What It Takes to Beat Him.

  12. 12.

    Raven

    July 30, 2019 at 6:58 pm

    A Democratic Virginia state lawmaker interrupted President Trump’s Jamestown speech Tuesday directly in front of the stage where the president was standing, declaring, “President Trump, you can’t send us back, Virginia is our home.”

    Ibraheem Samirah, who is Muslim, held up a sign with the words “Deport Hate,” sparking boos and chants of “Trump, Trump, Trump” from some in the audience. The president temporarily halted his speech, and Samirah was escorted from the event by law enforcement.

  13. 13.

    germy

    July 30, 2019 at 6:59 pm

    There will be no Chuck Todd tonight, which means no “one word answers” or “show of hands” bullshit.

  14. 14.

    Raven

    July 30, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    Samirah was born in Chicago, a second-generation Palestinian American[1] whose parents were refugees.[2] His father was separated from the family while Samirah attended middle school when he was barred reentry into the United States.[2] Samirah lived in Jordan as a teenager before returning to the United States in 2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from American University, where, though Muslim, he was a member of the historically Jewish fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu, attracted by the chapter’s progressivism and “respect for diversity”.[3] He next earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine at Boston University.[4] While he attended dental school, Samirah was a member of the Students for Justice in Palestine.[5]

  15. 15.

    Patricia Kayden

    July 30, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Reagan is a racist.
    https://twitter.com/TheAtlantic/status/1156324225839448064
    Sigh.

  16. 16.

    debbie

    July 30, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    @Raven:

    Pretty brave of him. I know Trump likes to think he can order beatdowns at his rallies.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    It took over 100 people eight days to build the set for CNN’s Democratic debates. Nine 53-foot semi-trucks were needed to haul in all the equipment. 

    Democrats already creating jobs!

  18. 18.

    Raven

    July 30, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    @debbie:

    JAMESTOWN, Va. — President Trump hailed the contributions of African-Americans to the building of the nation during a ceremony on Tuesday paying tribute to democracy in the New World, even as he continued to wage war on some of his most prominent black critics.

    The president’s elevated and scripted words honoring 400 years of representative government in the Western Hemisphere and the role played by African-Americans stood in sharp contrast to the acerbic attacks he made beforehand on a black congressman and his Baltimore-based district.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:05 pm

    I hear there’ll be a laser light show AND a smoke machine.

  20. 20.

    Amir Khalid

    July 30, 2019 at 7:07 pm

    6,400 manhours and nine trucks full of set tells me this presidential debate is being treated first and foremost as entertainment. CNN could very easily have done this without the expense and glitz, and the debate would have been better for it.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:07 pm

    I wonder who they got for the halftime show.

  22. 22.

    Chyron HR

    July 30, 2019 at 7:08 pm

    Any candidate who isn’t prepared for a Rashida Tlaib “impeach the MF” question is unprepared.

    What, like, “As president, will you support the impeachment of Donald Trump?”

  23. 23.

    HalfAssedHomesteader

    July 30, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: The only thing I don’t understand about Ronald Reagan is why people thought he was a genial man.

  24. 24.

    Chyron HR

    July 30, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    @Baud:

    Nine 53-foot semi-trucks were needed to haul in all the equipment egos.

  25. 25.

    MomSense

    July 30, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    @debbie:

    Thank god I missed him! Middle son got in an under 5mph accident and I’m about to add another boy to my insurance – I can’t afford to get into an NPR-rage fueled accident right now.

    @dmsilev:

    Yes to that! I was singing it to the Sound of Music tune which I used to sing as How do you solve a problem like Scalia – but he’s still dead!

  26. 26.

    NotMax

    July 30, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    Spent the day chauffering a certain lady of 91 over hill and dale, shopping for a new shade for a lamp in the living room and also looking at recliners. Lost count of how many stores safaried through.

    Not complaining, mind you. However am sorely looking forward to a large stiff drink.

    ;)

  27. 27.

    Raven

    July 30, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    @HalfAssedHomesteader: same with Poppy bush, he was a nasty motherfucker.

  28. 28.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    @HalfAssedHomesteader:

    Bonzo. Also too, Knute.

  29. 29.

    MomSense

    July 30, 2019 at 7:10 pm

    @Baud:

    Ha!

  30. 30.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 30, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    @Baud: Hmmm, reminds me of #streetmeetla.

  31. 31.

    Patricia Kayden

    July 30, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    @HalfAssedHomesteader: He was soft spoken and smiled a lot, I guess. Never liked him.

  32. 32.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 30, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    @HalfAssedHomesteader:

    The only thing I don’t understand about Ronald Reagan is why people thought he was a genial man.

    It’s because they saw him when he was an actor a TV host; same with Trump, they see him as a decisive boss.

  33. 33.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    The candidate are entering the stage.

    https://youtu.be/rYFlzJyxWlw

  34. 34.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 30, 2019 at 7:17 pm

    @Baud: I see you got there before I did…here’s a pic for ya.

  35. 35.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:17 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    You found my Veep!

  36. 36.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 30, 2019 at 7:19 pm

    @Baud: She may be a bit young, I’m guessing she’s under 35.

  37. 37.

    zhena gogolia

    July 30, 2019 at 7:19 pm

    @Baud:

    I thought it was going to be Fucik’s March of the Gladiators.

  38. 38.

    Roger Moore

    July 30, 2019 at 7:20 pm

    @Ohio Mom:

    Gosh, how did the League of Women Voters manage all those years of sponsoring presidential debates without a set design budget?

    LWV was trying to inform the public; CNN is trying to entertain them. Entertainment apparently requires a bigger budget than information.

  39. 39.

    Just One More Canuck

    July 30, 2019 at 7:20 pm

    @Baud: will there be cowbells?

  40. 40.

    SRW1

    July 30, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    @Baud:

    I hear there’ll be a laser light show AND a smoke machine.

    Not sure about the light show. The smoke grenade throwing prolly will be all manual.

    ETA:
    If you believe the guys and girls in the CNN pre-debate show you could get the impression it’s gonna be a catch-as-catch can event at some fun fair.

  41. 41.

    Raven

    July 30, 2019 at 7:22 pm

    @Roger Moore: oh whatever, it’s a fucking zoo no matter what network it’s on.

  42. 42.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    I’d rather watch the Mets and the White Sox.

  43. 43.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    @burnspbesq:

    That’s saying something.

  44. 44.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2019 at 7:27 pm

    Appropriate walk-up music:

    https://youtu.be/MMGKtXElgvA

  45. 45.

    Heywood J.

    July 30, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    How’d you deal with McConnell?

    Gibbet and pike, until the birds have picked everything clean. So uncivil!

  46. 46.

    SRW1

    July 30, 2019 at 7:32 pm

    @burnspbesq:

    Alternatively, (with the candidates riding in on elephants):
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B0CyOAO8y0

  47. 47.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2019 at 7:34 pm

    ,@Heywood J.:

    How’d you deal with McConnell?

    The same way Longshanks dealt with Wallace.

  48. 48.

    5x5

    July 30, 2019 at 7:35 pm

    I don’t have cable. I added CNN-go to my Roku channels. So far, I can watch the debates (it’s in pre-show right now) without a cable subscription. They’re allowing free viewing.

  49. 49.

    Raven

    July 30, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    @5×5: Lima charlie

  50. 50.

    Baud

    July 30, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    How do I watch?

    This time around, CNN is hosting, and it’s offering several ways to catch the debates. You can watch them:

    Streamed online at CNN.comVia the CNNgo app on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, and Android TVOn TV at CBSN. (A cable subscription is not required.) In addition, CBSN will feature coverage before and after the debates.

  51. 51.

    burnspbesq

    July 30, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    @SRW1:

    A third option.

    https://youtu.be/-2LnRvpVR_E

  52. 52.

    B.B.A.

    July 30, 2019 at 7:40 pm

    Fuck CNN. That is all.

  53. 53.

    chris

    July 30, 2019 at 7:40 pm

    Thread.

    Trump is not some bizarre aberration from principled conservatism. Trump is the logical endpoint of every single piece of conservative dog-whistle messaging for the past forty years.— Tom Tomorrow (@tomtomorrow) July 30, 2019

  54. 54.

    Patricia Kayden

    July 30, 2019 at 7:44 pm

    @chris: Since Nixon’s Southern Strategy, Republicans have decided that racism is a winner for them and they’re right. Things will only change when the demographics shift the racial makeup.

  55. 55.

    Ladyraxterinok

    July 30, 2019 at 7:44 pm

    @NotMax: If she was going through the stores with you walking, with walker, or with other aids–rejoice that she can still do this at her age.

    I ‘joked’ that sales at the local stores dropped precipitously when my mobility ills curtailed my ‘out and aboutness.’

  56. 56.

    lamh36

    July 30, 2019 at 7:45 pm

    No debate watching for me tonight. Tonight was my last final of 2 classes for the summer semester! Summer semester officially over for me. 3 weeks off before the Fall semester!!! I’ll know what my final summer semester grades are by the end of the week, but I’m hoping for 2 As!!! I’m pretty sure I’ve got an A in one. I’ve got at least a high B, a good grade on this final could give me another A!!!
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/519409bf92c4202f29e16dc4f9e2e0db25e82fec39a508bce95243a0409440d4.gif

  57. 57.

    Roger Moore

    July 30, 2019 at 7:46 pm

    @burnspbesq:
    Might I make an alternative suggestion?

  58. 58.

    MomSense

    July 30, 2019 at 7:47 pm

    @lamh36:

    You’re a rockstar, lamh!!

    How is your niece doing? I’m keeping her in my thoughts.

  59. 59.

    Yarrow

    July 30, 2019 at 7:49 pm

    @lamh36: Congrats! Enjoy your break. You are amazing–working so hard to pursue your goal.

  60. 60.

    PsiFighter37

    July 30, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    Won’t bother watching these until there’s a reasonable number of people on stage.

  61. 61.

    Jay Noble

    July 30, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    Can somebody please give each of the candidates alittle desk flag to attach to their podiums just shut the whiners up. And for goodness sakes make sure they do it according to the Flag Code!!!

  62. 62.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 30, 2019 at 8:00 pm

    @PsiFighter37: Not enough folk on stage for ya?

  63. 63.

    Raven

    July 30, 2019 at 8:02 pm

    OMG a television network is treating a television event like it’s a television event!!!! The Horror!

  64. 64.

    lamh36

    July 30, 2019 at 8:06 pm

    @MomSense: My niece Zoe is good. I think you may mean my godbaby Maddie. She got out of the hospital bout a week and 1/2 ago. She’s doing well. Her and her mom adjusting

  65. 65.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 30, 2019 at 8:11 pm

    It took over 100 people eight days to build the set for CNN’s Democratic debates. Nine 53-foot semi-trucks were needed to haul in all the equipment.

    Goddamn! What a waste of money.

  66. 66.

    Death Panel Truck

    July 30, 2019 at 9:04 pm

    @Raven: “Today is the day Donald Trump became president!” — Chuck Todd or some other half-wit

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