What's with the plastic disposable cameras?

I would assume they were gifts from either Gallup or the hosting university.

I doubt anything with metal was allowed in. No phones, no cameras. It was less than 200 people in there. They probably gave them out for pictures. And I doubt they even had them before the end of the debate. Imagine a flash going off while the camera pans over the audience while someone is answering(dodging) a question.

Breedmitch, I went to a political rally recently, and was shocked to find out that everything is fake. I can’t say with 100% certainty that this particular debate at Belmont was the same, but I’ll just tell you this little story about the one I went to.

So, they forbade people to bring any kind of signs in, and then (there were about 20 thousand people total) they had a special group of about 50 (i don’t know how they were chosen) on the floor of the arena standing right in front of the podium, and they gave signs to those people.

They were all waving signs that someone had handed them 5 minutes before. There was a lot of stuff like that. So I agree with johnpowell that whatever went on was strictly planned and controlled.

I would assume any digital recording equipment was not allowed in (phones or cameras) for a number of reasons: to slow the spread of photographs/information so allow news media to get out there first, to maintain videotaping rights to the appropriate people, and so as not to distract from the debate. But in return for no bringing in… anything, you get a disposable camera to use for your memories. It’s a fair trade off, I think.

@La_chica: Sounds about right. Whenever Barack comes to town, one of the responsibilities we delegate is to pick out certain people from the lines to “sit vis,” short for visibility. We usually have quotas supplied by the campaign higher-ups. The reason signs are forbidden is simply security. That’s Secret Service’s call.

Okay SS, fine, but fake signs? I mean really! Is that necessary?

I mean…yeah.

It can’t be empty. People have to have signs. So we make ‘em, have ‘em clear security, and then distribute them.