MESA, Ariz., July 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
TheTeaParty.net announced today that the Presidential Twitter Debate
scheduled for 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. ET on July 20 will be moderated by
bestselling author, political analyst and Glenn Beck TV host, S.E.
Cupp. Ms. Cupp will preside over the debate proceedings at the Grappone
Conference Center in Concord, NH, which will be attended by New England
area Tea Party activists. TheTeaParty.net supporters from across
the country will be participating online by posting questions via
Twitter using @140townhall and watching the event stream online.
Republican presidential candidates confirmed to date include Rep.
Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Herman Cain, former Speaker Newt Gingrich
(R-GA), former Gov. Gary Johnson (R-NM), Rep. Thaddeus McCotter
(R-MI), and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), with other
candidates expected to confirm soon.
"As my beleaguered followers can tell you, I'm a committed Twitter
devotee. It's great to see that the candidates are recognizing its
power, and the democratization of social media. I'm looking forward to
playing a role in what will be a historic and groundbreaking moment in
electoral politics," said S.E. Cupp.
The proprietary streaming Twitter platform was commissioned by
TheTeaParty.net and built by 140 DEV LLC. The core function of the
platform is the ability to isolate directed Tweets of candidates and
moderators. Twitter updates can be found on www.twitter.com/theteaparty_
"The Twitter debate platform is certain to engage an unprecedented
number of activists, and we look forward to empowering state and local
Tea Party groups throughout this election cycle to educate their
members about all primary candidates running for federal, state and
local office," commented Dustin Stockton, spokesman for TheTeaParty.net.
WASHINGTON, July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- TheTeaParty.net announced today that the Presidential Twitter Debate scheduled for 3:00 - 4:30pm ET on July 20 will be hosted by nationally syndicated Talk Radio Network host Rusty Humphries. Humphries, a 25 year veteran of talk radio, is heard on over 250 stations across the country and also on Sirius-XM. He is consistently ranked in Talkers Magazine's "Heavy 100" list of the most important talk show hosts in the country, and has also been nominated as the Talk Personality of the Year by Radio and records.
Mr. Humphries commented, "What an honor to be involved in something with such historical importance. Direct access to our leaders is what our founders envisioned and this "twitter debate" is exactly what our Republic needs at this time. I can't wait to see what a politician can say in 140 characters."
Humphries will be assisted by author and Glenn Beck TV host Ms. S.E. Cupp who will help moderate the debate at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH. The debate will be attended by New England area Tea Party activists. TheTeaParty.net supporters from across the country will be participating online by posting questions via Twitter using @140townhall and watching the event stream online. Following the debate, Humphries will lead a discussion group with the activists and tape segments for his syndicated show from the event site.
Dustin Stockton, national spokesman for TheTeaParty.net, stated, "We are proud to be able to offer Tea Party activists a groundbreaking debate combining cutting edge Twitter platform and the presence of one of the most respected and trusted voices in media. Rusty's well-known commitment to empowering and educating activists and his spot-on commentary will make our debate the best of this election cycle."
Republican presidential candidates confirmed to date include Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Herman Cain, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), former Gov. Gary Johnson (R-NM), Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA).
Founded in 2009, TheTeaParty.net (TTP) is one of the nation's largest Tea Party organizations with almost a 1,000,000 hits a month and more than 300,000 members. Devoted to providing educational and leadership resources to local organizations, TheTeaParty.net offers free tools, including a national calendar, free virtual and location-specific events, promotes like-minded organizations and helps them grow, and provides a Washington presence to assist Tea Party-oriented legislators to educate and expand their reach on issues of importance to the Tea Party movement. The proprietary streaming Twitter platform was commissioned by TheTeaParty.net and built by 140 DEV LLC. The core function of the platform is the ability to isolate directed Tweets of candidates and moderators. Twitter updates can be found on www.twitter.com/theteaparty_net and activists can join in the debate by using @140townhall. Register to receive presidential debate updates on this groundbreaking event.
1. The debate will last for 90 minutes on July 20th 2011 from 3:00pm EST – 4:30pm EST.
2. All debate tweets must include @140townhall to be included in the debate
3. External links are banned except during opening and closing statements
A. Videos used for opening and closing statements cannot exceed 3 minutes
Opening Statements:
1. Opening statements will be restricted to 4 minutes per candidate.
2. Candidates can tweet their opening statements or provide an external link to a video/website.
3. Order will be drawn at random
4. Other candidates will not tweet using @140townhall during other candidates opening statements.
Open Questions:
1. Moderators will ask a question to the entire field of candidates and discussion will last for 5 minutes.
2. There will be 5 open discussion questions
3. Moderators will ask follow up questions in order to keep the discussion moving.
4. Campaigns will be provided with the topics 72 hours before the debate.
Individual Questions:
1. Each candidate will be asked 1 or 2 individual questions based on time. Each candidate will get an equal number of individual questions.
2. Individual questions will be limited to 2 minutes.
3. Moderators will have the option of asking no more than one follow up question.
4. Only the candidate specifically asked a question will tweet using @140townhall during the two minutes following the question.
Closing Statements:
1. Closing statements will be restricted to 4 minutes per candidate.
2. Candidates can tweet their opening statements or provide an external link to a video/website.
3. Order will be the reverse of opening statements
4. Other candidates will not tweet using @140townhall during other candidates closing statements.