Below The Beltway

There should be a special place in hell reserved for the man, woman, or committee of chimpanzees who came up with the idea of the so-called “town hall”-type debate that we will be subjected to tonight.

The idea that a bunch of people who are apparently so uninvolved in the political process that they haven’t made up their mind in a Presidential election that’s been going on for almost two years now can ask better questions than trained journalist who actually have a clue what they’re talking about is, well, it’s dumb.

The whole thing started back in 1992 when George H.W. Bush was running against Ross Perot and Bill Clinton and, among the more memorable moments from that debate was the appearance of Ponytail Guy:

“Ponytail Guy” is the term some in political circles use to refer to Denton Walthall, who asked a question in the second presidential debate in 1992. A domestic mediator who worked with children, Walthall scolded President George H.W. Bush for running a mudslinging, character-based campaign against Bill Clinton in 1992. Referring to voters as “symbolically the children of the future president,” he asked how voters could expect the candidates “to meet our needs, the needs in housing and in crime and you name it, as opposed to the wants of your political spin doctors and your political parties. … Could we cross our hearts? It sounds silly here but could we make a commitment? You know, we’re not under oath at this point, but could you make a commitment to the citizens of the U.S. to meet our needs—and we have many—and not yours again?”

It did sound silly: a father-president dandling a nation of children voters on his knee. But instead of challenging the paterfamilias premise, the candidates took his pain seriously. Walthall didn’t scold Bush by name, but as the camera shot over his shoulder (showing us his ponytail), Bush could be seen growing annoyed. The question was addressed to all the candidates, but Bush was the candidate running the character-based campaign. He had answered a previous questioner by making the case for why Bill Clinton’s character should be an issue. So it was obvious Bush was the target of the Ponytail Guy’s criticism.

Here’s video of part of Walthall’s question, though not the best part of it:

A dumb question, obviously, but when you open up the floor to a “domestic mediator” who thinks political leaders should treat citizens like children, what else can you expect ?

But perhaps the stupidest question of the debate came from a young woman who asked the three candidates — which, remember included a billionaire, a member of one of America’s oldest political families, and a man who had been Governor of Arkansas for nine years and clearly wasn’t hurting for money — how the national debt had personally affected them:

The moment I saw that exchange, I knew that Bush was toast. He was took the question as an attack on his wealth, while Clinton seized it as an opportunity to, as he said more than once that election cycle, “feel your pain.” However, anyone who tells me that we learned anything substantive about Bush, Clinton, or Perot during that four minutes is kidding themselves. There’s a reason that professional journalists are professional journalists. They know how to ask a question that makes politicians actually answer a question rather than pontificate and “feel people’s pain.”

That’s the kind of nonsense we’re likely to see tonight, even under the restrictive rules that will be in effect:

Tuesday’s match-up at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., will be moderated by NBC’s Tom Brokaw, with the questions to be culled from a group of 100 to 150 uncommitted likely voters in the audience and another one-third to come via the Internet. The Gallup Organization — as in past debates like this — has the job of making sure the questioners reflect the demographic makeup of the nation.

Brokaw selects the questions to ask from written queries submitted prior to the debate, according to the “contract.”

An audience member will not be allowed to switch questions. Under the deal, the moderator may not ask followups or make comments. The person who asks the question will not be allowed a follow-up either, and his or her microphone will be turned off after the question is read. A camera shot will only be shown of the person asking — not reacting.

While there will be director’s chairs (with backs and foot rests), McCain and Obama will be allowed to stand — but they can’t roam past their “designated area” to be marked on the stage. McCain and Obama are not supposed to ask each other direct questions.

I’m guessing that, to some degree, these rules are a response to December’s YouTube debates which were ridiculously stupid in both their Republican and Democratic varieties.

So, will there be another “ponytail guy” moment this year ? Will one of the candidates, most likely McCain, commit a gaffe on a par with Bush 41 looking at his watch ?

Tune in and find out, I know I will. I’ve stocked up on a bottle of Tuesday night debate watching Cabernet that will probably be empty by the time 10:30 EDT comes around, so follow my Twitter updates tonight, because it could get fun.

Then, I’ll be back here after it’s over to count the ponytails.