Presidential debate megathread (debate 1: June 27, 9pm EDT, CNN)

[Attorney General & LGC Deputy Dwarven Dragon]

RFK needs one more poll over 15% to qualify for the debate now.

And ballot access in states with at least 270 electoral votes.

There's also the clause that the polls must meet "CNNs standards for reporting". Since they don't have a prearranged list like the CPD did, I feel like this'll get used to throw out a poll to keep Kennedy from qualifying. I'd be very shocked if they did let him in.

[Attorney General & LGC Deputy Dwarven Dragon]

Both bozos will back out if Kennedy's let it. Even if Kennedy sucks, both parties are bipartisan in their efforts to never let a third candidate participate.

Actually, Trump's already said he's fine with it:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/us/politics/trump-debates-rfk-jr.html

So I guess there's a scenario where we get a repeat of the 1980 Reagan-Anderson Debate.

[Attorney General & LGC Deputy Dwarven Dragon]

Maybe it was mentioned somewhere but i guess none of the debates will be a townhall meeting.

Correct. It was a huge expense that we're probably better off without.

[Attorney General & LGC Deputy Dwarven Dragon]

Maybe it was mentioned somewhere but i guess none of the debates will be a townhall meeting.

Correct. It was a huge expense that we're probably better off without.

God forbid the voters get to ask questions to the candidates directly.

I'm really not convinced the election was ever influenced much by questions from what always seemed to be Safe D constituencies. Even though it's ostensibly undecided voters, it's not really representative of anyone who will realistically swing the result, and there wasn't really a good way to verify that they were legit undecided.

Then you consider the extra space/equipment required, the effort of going through the questions ahead of time to avoid duplicates/trolls, and the cost of feeding these people dinner (yep, this was part of it), and at some point it's just not worth it.

[Attorney General & LGC Deputy Dwarven Dragon]

I do have to ask, might CNN be cheeky, think they'd get more views in a three way debate, and count states where Kennedy turned in way more signatures than needed as him having ballot access?

Outside that, I don't think he makes it in unless the Libertarians somehow crossnominate him.

The Biden campaign seems to be under the impression that CNN would do the opposite and find a technicality to lock Kennedy out.

[Attorney General & LGC Deputy Dwarven Dragon]

I don't know why people expect this to be cancelled, why would it be?

https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2024/06/federal-election-commission-reportedly-confirms-presumptive-nominee-not-in-debate-regulations/

The Federal Election Commission reportedly confirmed that the designation “presumptive nominee,” which has been used by CNN to justify exclusive debate invitations to Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump ahead of their respective party’s national conventions, is not officially recognized by FEC regulations.

According to a report published by KITV4 Island News this week, an FEC spokesperson confirmed that the designation “presumptive nominee,” which CNN has cited to justify its direct inclusion of Biden and Trump in a debate set for later this month, is “not in the FEC’s debate regulation.” However, the FEC spokesperson said they could not elaborate further on the discrepancy due to a complaint filed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month over CNN’s adoption of the debate criteria. KITV4 Island News also spoke with Commission on Presidential Debates co-chairman Frank Fahrenkopf and several Secretaries of State.

Kennedy filed a formal complaint with the FEC on May 28, claiming that CNN, in conjunction with the campaigns of Joe Biden and Donald Trump, engaged in flagrant violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. In his complaint, Kennedy argues that the debate criteria used are neither objective nor pre-established, and that the requirement for candidates to be on enough ballots to win 270 electoral votes by June is not realistic until after a party holds its national convention. Failing to use objective criteria while automatically including Biden and Trump as “presumptive nominees” would mean the debate constitutes a campaign contribution, subject to strict donation limits.

In a press release on Tuesday, the Kennedy campaign reiterated its call for CNN to apply its criteria objectively, stating that a failure to do so amounts to a willful violation of campaign finance law, and that the FEC should prevent the debate from taking place until an agreement can be reached that complies with the Federal Election Campaign Act.

“Now, with FEC’s recent statement, it appears beyond doubt the debate will, absent Kennedy’s participation, violate campaign finance laws and that CNN and its staff are knowingly and willfully violating these laws,” the campaign stated. “As explained in the FEC complaint, ‘By demanding our campaign meet different criteria to participate in the debate than Presidents Biden and Trump, CNN’s debate violates FEC law and is a large prohibited corporate contribution to both the Biden and Trump campaigns.'”

This reads to me like nothing but sour grapes from the Kennedy campaign. That won't be a reason for the debate to not happen.

Right now it's irrelevant, but if Kennedy gets a 4th poll at 15%, and  the FEC forces CNN to strike the "on ballots with 270 EVs" criteria, the debate would have to include Kennedy. It's conceivable that the major candidates would simply cancel the debate rather than debate him.

There's a reason why the CoPD has always held its debates under criteria that a third party could clearly, even if only theoretically, meet. Holding a debate under criteria that's impossible for a third party to meet is against federal law.

[Attorney General & LGC Deputy Dwarven Dragon]

Muting Trump's microphone won't stop him from yelling.

This. He'll just ensure Tapper's mic picks it up.