Why C-Span is the best place to watch the debates

From Orange Crate Art:

The best choice for watching a presidential or vice-presidential debate is C-SPAN. Why? C-SPAN's continuous split-screen lets you see both participants at all times, allowing for all sorts of observations about body language and facial expression.

Why C-Span is the best place to watch the debates

[#1 posted by blakemakes , October 2, 2008 4:03 PM]

I'm betting you'll see more varied body movement from Senator Biden. I think I'll get tired of Sarah Palin's smile, as I already have.

[#2 posted by grimc , October 2, 2008 4:15 PM]

Also, no crappy supers.

I started out watching the last debate on CBS, was quickly irritated by the graphics with the constantly scrolling "PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 2008" that remained on screen throughout, and switched to PBS.

There is a special place in hell for modern television graphic artists.

[#3 posted by Joe , October 2, 2008 4:17 PM]

Careful.

My wife and I set up the DVR to record the first debate from C-Span. But C-Span apparently is obligated to film Congress whenever it's in session, so we wound up missing the first 20 minutes; instead we got a recording of some congresscritter talking to an empty room.

[#4 posted by Shawn Wolfe , October 2, 2008 4:18 PM]

When she says "AMEEERICA" it's like someone jamming an ice pick through my ear drums.

[#5 posted by Brainspore , October 2, 2008 4:28 PM]

Do they also show the debates without the obligatory spin from supporters of both campaigns afterward? Because that would be cool.

[#6 posted by psychogasm , October 2, 2008 4:28 PM]

Watch it on Current TV (current.com) and watch the snarky tweets on the bottom of the screen. hee-larious.

[#7 posted by Tom Hale , October 2, 2008 5:06 PM]

I won't be watching the debate - It's all canned junk that they were relentlessly coached, their answers polled. The debate will serve one function - other than to generate news - it will let us know how good the candidate is at debating. I really couldn't care less if Biden or Palin knows the ruler of every obscure country, or has memorized every supreme court ruling. If the candidate is elected VP or is one day the President, he/she will be surrounded by people that are there to provide those answers.

Other than enjoying the likely forthcoming embarrassment felt by Republicans nationwide, what could you possibly get from the debate? Certainly you'll learn nothing new about the candidates and their ideas (or lack thereof) about how our country should be ran.

C Span also has a good site for the debate - C-SPAN Debate Hub

The usual way I post links on a forum doesn't seem to work. Any tips would be appreciated. Here's the link http://debatehub.c-span.org/

[#8 posted by highlyevolved , October 2, 2008 5:21 PM]

All the better to see Palin's finger waving...

[#9 posted by Tom Hale , October 2, 2008 5:24 PM]

I mean, I want to make the words "C-SPAN Debate Hub" into a hyperlink that leads to the website.

The usual "<a href=URL>C-SPAN Debate Hub</a>
doesn't work for me.

Thanks

[#10 posted by hohum , October 2, 2008 7:05 PM]

@9, that always works for me... although once or twice it has opted not to underline it for whatever reason (although the link works) so I just throw in an underline tag if it messes up...

[#11 posted by Greatmiddlewest , October 2, 2008 7:29 PM]

thanks for suggesting this. Was getting annoyed with CNN's stupid 'opinion-meter' constantly scrolling across the bottom.

[#12 posted by Tom Hale , October 2, 2008 7:50 PM]

C-SPAN Debate Hub

Testing

[#13 posted by minTphresh , October 2, 2008 9:28 PM]

lamest, debate, evar.

[#14 posted by insomma , October 3, 2008 1:00 AM]

It's Friday morning in Italy and I'm watching the C-SPAN coverage of last night's debate and there is not a continous split screen as stated above. Was that only for the live broadcast? Still says live on the screen but I was looking forward to the double vision :[

[#15 posted by insomma , October 3, 2008 1:07 AM]

(Jesus, will they STOP saying Maverick?!?)

[#16 posted by fdeblauwe , October 3, 2008 1:58 AM]

Have a look at the analysis I performed of the words used by Palin and Biden in tonight's debate. Just as for the 1st debate, I produced "bubble graphs" showing length and number of words and sentences and "word clouds" displaying which words were used more by each debater. You can find it all at my Word Face-Off blog.

[#17 posted by Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator , October 3, 2008 4:28 AM]

Mark, definitely C-Span. They don't get in the way.

FDEBlauwe, thanks for the link. Those are interesting graphs.

[#18 posted by Cupcake Faerie , October 3, 2008 10:03 AM]

We started out on C-Span (my step son's suggestion as he too has become an avid boingboinger, er ite) BUT the syncing was totally off! It looked like an old Japanese monster movie - I couldn't take it, so we went with CNN...blah

[#19 posted by zuzu , October 3, 2008 10:28 AM]

Have a look at the analysis I performed of the words used by Palin and Biden in tonight's debate. Just as for the 1st debate, I produced "bubble graphs" showing length and number of words and sentences and "word clouds" displaying which words were used more by each debater.

I'd love to have these word clouds for all news on television at all times. (Can you elaborate on how you pipe the closed captioning from the digital television into a textfile you can parse?) I want to track the viral infection pattern of memes such as:

* When and how "bailout" became "rescue plan".

* When "everything changed after 9/11" (or simply "9/11") became "game-changer" or a "game changing event"

I suspect there's people who engineer these memes to frame our way of thought, not unlike Gouda Kazundo in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig.

Also, I hate the cable companies for DRM encrypting C-SPAN as if it were a pay channel like basic cable or HBO, instead of delivering it as Clear QAM like they do all the local and independent stations. Shouldn't this archive of Congressional footage and politics be delivered in the clear?

[#20 posted by alexx , October 4, 2008 10:27 AM]

I attend Washington University in St Louis, and for my money, watching the debate from inside the debate hall was the best place to see it from. Plus, the hospitality tent was amazing!