Question on presidential debates

[Jeunemaitre]

BTW, why does one not talk about presidential debates?

I think we've been referencing the movie Fight Club in which Brad Pitt explains the rules of the group as
"Rule #1: You do not talk about Fight Club; Rule #2: You DO NOT TALK about Fight Club;" etc.

I think the mention of candidates taking notes refers to the advantage of being the second to answer a question. You get a chance to hear your opponents answer and can take notes on points he made, or points you want to make when it's your time to speak. As far a knowing the questions beforehand, most candidates have a large contingent of staff dedicated to preparing them for any subject that might arise, but the most expected questions are dictated by the state of the campaign and the current issues raised by the press. For example, it's easy to guess that there will be questions regarding the encouragement of economic recovery, and it's equally easy to guess that there will not be a question on the state of relations with Monaco.

edit: modified punctuation