USA Today: Kerry knows town hall format well

[Thrill]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=5&u=/usatoday/20041008/pl_usatoday/debatepreviewkerryknowstownhallformatwell

[WI_DEM]

1. I have faith that Kerry will be able to be human and presidential

at the same time. While the boob-in-chief will go overboard trying to "connect" and turn around the impression left in the last debate and fail.

[ewagner]

2. This is a great techniqe

It's not unusual for Kerry to question his questioners. When chemistry teacher Chuck Handlon of Rochester, Minn., brought up the dearth of people going into his field, Kerry asked him how much money he made. Handlon replied, $52,000 after nearly 30 years, not much more than the salary for a first-year chemical engineer.

Asking the questioner to clarify his/her question and showing some interest in the questioner as a real person builds a rapport with the audience.

Caution: Try to keep from going "biographical" on the questioner. This makes it appear that a)You're into "one-ups-manship" or b)you really don't care about the questioner's concern.

[Cocoa]

5. it may not be allowed

I just saw a replay of the Bush-Gore townhall debate, Gore did this, questioned his questioner, and the moderator said no you can't do that and told the audience person not to answer.

[PATRICK]

6. Can win on this too

Simply invite the questioner to meet with him RIGHT after about the question he would like to ask him(her) and make the point about the rules not allowing it. Ones ups and pre-empts Bush who would hate to have to that himself. It's also a natural thing for Kerry to do anyway and he has done that before. Screw the photo ops with the media and others and get to the people afterward. THAT is an uncontrolled arena Bush would have to wade in as an obvious defense.

How's that for a tactic to sweat about, freepers?

You don't have to flounder against a stacked deck. Kerry proved that before.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. and why Kerry will win:

....David Lanoue, chairman of the political science department at the University of Alabama, said Kerry "doesn't have the instant rapport with people that George W. Bush seems to have."

But he said the format plays to one of Kerry's strength. "The questions tend to be much more substantive. The participants truly want to know the candidates' views on issues," he says.

Kerry has been rehearsing for this night since the primary season, when his responses to voter questions helped propel him to a victory in the Iowa caucuses last January. "The long town hall meetings absolutely did him an amazing amount of good," said Iowa Democratic Chairman Gordon Fischer. Why? "Sheer knowledge, charm - which he does possess - and a willingness to listen and learn."

[bain_sidhe]

4. a few words from the article

I hate it when it's just a link!

But anyway... I noticed this at the end:

It's not unusual for Kerry to question his questioners. When chemistry teacher Chuck Handlon of Rochester, Minn., brought up the dearth of people going into his field, Kerry asked him how much money he made. Handlon replied, $52,000 after nearly 30 years, not much more than the salary for a first-year chemical engineer.

Handlon said he was pleased that Kerry asked him about his salary. "His answers to my overall question were trying to deal with the complexity of the issues. They didn't seem like a canned response, a memorized thing," Handlon said.

This is how Kerry can combat any bu**sh** "folksiness" - yes, bu**sh** can seem like a "regular guy" but his responses WILL be canned, and the audience WILL notice the difference.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. Kerry was born to do town halls

He's brilliant, and they allow his brilliance to come out.

[otohara]

8. Bush Knows Town Hall if They Signed Loyalty Oath

and promise not to ask Bubble Boy anything too hard or complicated.

[GregW]

9. BWWAAA HA HAAAA HA HAAA

Just had a really funny thought ... Kerry opens the 'debate' with:

Looks out over the audience, asks, "How many of you here had to sign a Republican loyalty oath?"

No one raises their hand.

Kerry looks directly at W^rong and says, "Ruh-Ro"