"CNN Election 2000 Special: The Arizona Republican Primary Debate"
Monday Dec. 6, 1999 at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, AZ.  8:00-9:00 p.m. (ET). 
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Courtesy: CNN.
Transcript
The Questions
Media
Candidates: Gary Bauer, George W. Bush, Steve Forbes, Orrin Hatch, Alan Keyes and, by satellite, John McCain.

Moderator: CNN prime anchor Judy Woodruff; questions from panelists Candy Crowley, CNN senior political correspondent, and John King, CNN White House correspondent.

Audience: More than 1,300 people invited by the Arizona Republican Party.

Format: Three parts--(A) The moderator or one of the panelists poses a question to one of the candidates, who has one minute to respond.  Next panelist asks question of next candidate.  Questions cover three areas: raising and educating children, taxes and government spending, and international affairs and national security.  (B) Candidates question each other.  (C) Brief closing comments.

Broadcast: CNN and C-SPAN. 

Overview: The second part of this debate, with the candidates asking one another questions, created interesting dynamics in terms of who the candidates chose to direct their questions to and what subjects they chose.  Some of the questions tended to highlight proposals or ideas advanced by the questioner; others sought to draw distinctions.  Politicians being what they are, a number of the questions were rather lengthy, and the moderator had to step in several times and ask a candidate to ask his question. 
 

Note. After the Arizona Republican Party announced its Nov. 21 debate, Gov. George W. Bush said he would participate in a debate in Arizona on Dec. 6. 

Copyright 1999  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.