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In the backdrop behind the desk, there were two windows. Behind one window was a TV camera and a TelePrompTer that Jim Lehrer used briefly at the beginning and end of the debate. Behind the other window was another TV camera pointed at Jim Lehrer. On stage, there were two rolling TV cameras positioned in the wings. In front of the stage, there were two large fixed TV cameras like those you see at a football game. It appears that all of the TV networks take all of their video from these six cameras -- they all share the same video feeds. Print photographers do not seem to have these same sharing relationships. There were dozens of photographers at the event. Along both sides of the auditorium were staircases leading up to the balcony and photographers were positioned on these stairs with their 3-foot-long (1 m) lenses to get close-up shots. The Debate Jim Lehrer was very interesting to watch, because here you were looking at a real person, not a collection of pixels on TV. And he also was not acting in his traditional role of TV news anchor, but instead as the person in charge of the debate. He spoke about what would happen, when it would happen and what the audience's role would be (essentially the audience was told to remain completely silent during the debate -- no applause, hooting, booing, etc.). He kidded around a little -- this was a Jim Lehrer I had never seen before, and it set the tone for the rest of the evening because he made everyone feel welcome and a part of the event. He was in complete command and seemed to really enjoy the role. Laura Bush came out and took her seat to a standing ovation. Then Tipper Gore and her family came out and took their seats to a standing ovation. Then both the candidates came out and took their seats to a standing ovation, and the debate began. There were two things about "being at" the debate that were different from watching it on TV:
How I Was Able to Attend
![]() The group that hosts the debates is the Commission on Presidential Debates, and if you look on their Web site for tickets it says:
So a logical question is, "How did I get a ticket? How does that work?" Here is how it worked in my case: I have been fortunate to meet a number of people in government -- office-holders and candidates, their staff and supporters, from both parties -- through How Stuff Works. People in government seem to love How Stuff Works for the same reasons that other people do, and they especially enjoy How Stuff Works because students and teachers love the site and use it in their classrooms. For example, in June of this year I was honored to be able to introduce the vice president and give a
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