'Super Tuesday' presidential debates in California
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The top Democratic and Republican presidential contenders will be invited to appear in nationally televised debates in California less than one week before "Super Tuesday," CNN, The Los Angeles Times, and Politico announced Friday.
The California debates, which will be broadcast on CNN, will take place in a delegate rich state that both Republican and Democratic White House hopefuls are mining for votes and campaign cash.
It will be the final time the candidates appear together on the same stage before February 5 when 23 states hold presidential nominating contests.
Republicans will appear at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on January 30. Former first lady Nancy Reagan has personally informed candidates that they will be invited if they are frontrunners.
The California Democratic Party has sanctioned the Democratic debate, which will take place January 31 in Los Angeles. CNN, the Los Angeles Times, and Politico are organizing these historic events.
The three media organizations said candidates will be invited if they place in one of the top four spots in an early voting state, and receive at least 5 percent in either a California survey conducted by the organizers or any one of 10 nationally identified media sponsored polls in January.
Organizers will determine Democratic eligibility based upon the Democratic National Committee's early calendar schedule that includes Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. For Republicans, the list of possible contests includes: Iowa, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida.
In addition to a CNN/Los Angeles Times/Politico survey of California voters, the media organizations said other polls they will use to determine eligibility include: CNN, Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg, The New York Times, CBS, USA Today/Gallup, NBC/Wall Street Journal, FOX/Opinion Dynamics, Washington Post/ABC, TIME, or Newsweek.
CNN let McCain continually give his political song and did not stop him and make him address the question. That was not journalism that was simply non professional by the panel. You might as well endorse McCain if you will not make him 'show' his ignorance.
Shame on you CNN! That was disappointing and the debate was simple poorly managed.
McCain has no answer but say I served. McCain flip flop in the last month on the economy and amnesty. He had to go and get someone this last month to rewrite his economic policy which originally was being laughed at by all business professionals.
Its too bad that CNN did not call McCain and make him stick to the question. When are we going to get moderators that will quit allowing all candidates to give campaign statesments inset of responding to the question?
The democrats are going to eat McCain up as being of NO substance. Most republicans will vote for Obama or Clinton if McCain is the republican candidate.
I would like to get tickets to the Obama-Clinton event please advise.
Why would any sane person vote for Hillary Clinton? Hillary represents all that is wrong with American government. Exclusion, confrontation, and deception is not what America needs. Besides, The conservatives are laying in wait for her to win the nomination because they know they can beat her. Conservatives do not nearly claim the same confidence about beating Barack Obama in November. Vote OBAMA.
Hillary and Bill give more of the same warmed-over arguments for why they represent the best choice for America. Hillary has had 35 years to make a difference and failed miserbaly to convince me that she should be my President A lot of lip service, but I have not benefitted 1 iota from the Clinton leadership. Have you? Vote OBAMA
Hillary failed on bringing together a bi-partisan agreement on health care. When Bill was President. Why should I believe she can do it now? Vote OBAMA
Hillary supported and was paid handsomely by a Wal-Mart regime, that vehemently opposed organized labor in the US while shamelessly exploliting child labor abroad. She has not expressed an original thought no answered a direct question since the campaign started. Vote OBAMA
Enough of the Clinton's already! Vote for a new America with a new spirit and new direction. Turn the pasge on tis ugly chapter of American history.
Vote OBAMA !
LJ, Atlanta
I was extremely disappointed in last night's debate. I, too, found it poorly managed and although I have been fan of Cooper's, I thought it was a bad job all around.
I actually felt that Huckabee even in his litte time won that debate but he and Ron Paul were not allowed equal time. Tired of McCain's constant war stance as much as I was of Rudy's 9/11 overused tirade.
At this point every station's bias is clear so in looking at all the stations I can gleen a bit of information on each candidate. Um, isn't getting information what these stations do for a living. Sad to think u have to channel surf to get a fair overview on these people.
None of the station are doing their job IMO. Get on with finding out the details, the plans specifics not the agendas. It's been a year these people have been spitting out the same stuff; we have almost a year to gather the details....that's the medias job. Stop with the race, gender and nonsense.
What happened to Huckabee and Paul???? The media has already crowned the winners, and the people have ceeded the election process. I think Huckabee got about 10 minutes of time, and Paul received about 5 minutes.
is a sense of humor important to you....and if or when you offend someone how do you handle it?
a republican that wants to vote for obama
Why are the debates so unfair in terms of air time? Seems the media is directing people to who they want to be the top candidates, maybe because the media is interested in what may sell news versus the best president of the USA?
If a debate is 60 mnutes and ther eare 4 candidates, why not track total time, end early, and give those tht had less air time free time to talk and make upp the diff in time? Is the press afraid of equality? I believe it is the press that resulted in John Edwards' fate and wil likely do the same to Huckabee... the only two people that could have made this an election of the best person versus us heading for a lesser of two evils AGAIN.
WILL YOU PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS THAT AMERICANS WANT AN ANSWER TO AND NOT TRY TO STIR UP ARGUMENTS AND RACIAL DEVIDE?!
WE WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY STAND ON DRIVER'S LICENSE FOR ILLEGALS, ....illegal driver's licenses played a part in how radical muslims attacked us!...
Where do they stand L.O.S.T. treaty
where do they stand on the real issues?!
It sure would be nice to put Clinto and Obama against the wall and watch them wiggle around and not specifically answer this question.
Democrats are known for raising taxes on Americans so it will pay for programs that Congress and the President okay. With this being said, at what percentage of a person's salary do you feel a cap should be placed where an Amercan is not responsible for being taxed.
I would bet that neighter would give a specific on this!!!
31st Jan, 2008, COULD BE REAL TESTING POINT for Obama.
If Obama's handling of questions is 'prim & proper' he may soon be ahead of Hillary.
Otherwise Obama can sure say goodbye.
If polling results are to be believed, then, Hillary's lead is only slender.
Today's (Jan31st) debate IS SURELY IMPORTANT FOR SUPER TUESDAY FEB 05, 2008, AS PEOPLE WILL BE WATCHING THIS DEBATE VERY THOROUGHLY.
How can I attend tonight's debate? The Kodak Theater is large enough to accomodate many people. Do they sell tickets, or how does one get to attend?
We definitely need a complete party change in November because regardless of the Repub. candidate along with that comes baggage from the past in advisory and cabinet positions. Obama stands the best chance of a Demo. being elected in Nov. Obama will attract more of the independent and swing voters. It is my thought that if a Demo. get elcted that John Edwards would make an excellent Attorney General who would not be afraid to go after corruption and uphold the Constitution of the U.S.
Deanna
MO.
I find it very ironic that the crux of the Democratic debates is about change, listening to the American people, and having a government for the people again, all people. Yet the debate was held in front of a room full of celebrities, and probably big campaign donors, by invitation only. Tickets were not available to the "common, ordinary, everyday people."
Isn't that contrary to what the candidates say they are focused on? Don't celebrities have enough privilege and influence in this society, especially in Hollywood? Whose decision was that, cnnpolitico? And who the heck is politico? California is already not taken very seriously by the rest of this country in terms of their political savvy, as it is. Californians are looked at as shallow, star-struck, crunchy granola, protein-bar eating barefooted, sun-tanned, empty-headed bimbos who only care about their looks and having fun. Yet to prove the rest of the country wrong, only a select group of the most affluent people in this country are invited to witness the debate over the welfare and the economics of this country, which affects them the least. They are the serious people, who play other people for a living, and get paid millions to do that. They don't even live in the real world, yet they are the real people? I appreciate the arts (my sister Laurine is an actress in New York), but in this context, where is the sense in this? Hillary and Obama, why did you allow this to happen, when you proclaim to listen to the voices of the disenfranchised, the laborers, the people upon whom the backbone of this country lies.
And then to have it aired on CNN, as if everyone, obviously, has cable TV, in these economic, near recession times. I am disappointed in both Hillary and Obama for not seeing the hippocracy of this whole debate in this setting. Both of you lose points for that as far as I am concerned and it makes your professed concerns about mainstream America less credible. Is this what California represents? Hollywood? Why don't we change the name of the state to Hollywood, and make California the name of the city centered at Hollywood and Vine? My sister, Ginny, who is residing in New Hampshire has stated that Californians are shallow and stupid, even though she was raised in California too. In this instance, I cannot disagree, for those who made the decision to have the debate in this venue.