Harrah's executive Jan Jones beamed Monday as she surveyed a packed house at Bally's eagerly awaiting the fall's first gubernatorial debate in Las Vegas. "Democracy rocks!" she said.

But the "debate" that started moments later was less Vegoose spontaneity and more like a PC totalitarian "conversation" about Nevada "issues."

Sure, Democrat Dina Titus and Republican Jim Gibbons talked about water, seniors, education, taxes and energy for about an hour -- but they did so with as much zeal as a campaign news release. This is what happens when do-gooders such as the Las Vegas League of Women Voters team up with the world's largest gaming company and its host of politically tied officials. Did Gibbons' campaign chairman, Sig Rogich, call his old buddy Marybel Batjer (former Reagan administration official; former chief of staff to Gov. Kenny Guinn; former aide to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger) at her new job with Harrah's and ask a favor?

Jones, who was a Democratic candidate in Nevada's last real governor's race eight years ago, should have made sure the event was worthy of her company's sponsorship. Instead, representatives of eight diverse community groups gave draft versions of questions to the candidates weeks ago and gave the final version to the candidates a few days before the debate.

That still didn't allow Cordell Stokes of the Caucus for African American Nevadans to get the facts right in his question. Nor did it result in anything but fill-in-the-pander responses from the candidates in questions posed by the AARP or the yet-to-be-effectual Hispanics in Politics.

The panelists sat there, asking their canned questions, receiving their hackneyed responses and preening for the camera. Fernando Romero of Hispanics in Politics even signed an autograph afterward, as if he were somehow the star of the show for asking whether the next governor's Cabinet will have Hispanic representation.

The candidates tried to one-up themselves by rattling off the Hispanic surnames of staff members.

Monday's event, called You Decide! 2006, made me wonder who was deciding the race. The crowd was overwhelmingly in Titus' corner, as was expected for a Las Vegas state senator. Titus supporters, after filling up her designated seats, sat on the groom's side of the aisle, interspersed with the well-behaved Gibbons crowd. The rowdies seated stage left were admonished several times by moderator Richard Morgan to hold their applause. They still cheered when they wanted to and groaned whenever Gibbons played the tax card.

But as with all debates, the opinion of the live audience doesn't matter. Typically, it's the small television audience and subsequent media coverage that determine a winner.

In Monday's debate, it appears the pre-determined winners were the 20 community groups that had a say in crafting the questions. They included six chamber of commerce groups, two other business groups and 10 women's organizations.

The AARP asked what the governor could do for seniors who want to remain in their homes.

Gibbons went the health care route, mentioning he supported re-importation of drugs from Canada 10 times in Congress, including a vote "just two weeks ago." He failed to mention his support of Medicare reform that specifically prohibited re-importation, or of the other similar votes he cast in opposition.

Then, as Titus laughed, he urged the creation of a task force (shudder) and said: "I believe the state, if it hasn't already done so, should set up an 800-number" for seniors to call and get information about available services. The state has one, thanks to Titus, and 2-1-1 is easier to remember than a 10-digit number.

In response to the Asian Chamber's question about water, Gibbons went the "sound science" route rather than enter the north-south debate over the proposed water pipeline. "I'm the only candidate that studied hydrology at the University of Nevada ..." Gibbons said. "I know water from the ground up." He said the Desert Research Institute is the finest research facility in the state -- no, "the world" -- and he has asked for its input.

Titus talked about her legislative support for the state water planner's office -- a $1 million appropriation to rural counties to study water inventory -- and then somehow assailed Gibbons for voting against the Interstate 15 expansion.

With panelists having no ability to follow up on their pre-screened questions, nobody could point out inaccuracies, flip-flops or even home in on candidate avoidance. That's how Gibbons got away with not answering the minimum wage portion of the Las Vegas Chamber's question about the business climate and how Titus incorrectly stated Gibbons' answer to an immigration question at the last debate.

The debate format sure didn't end the platitudes by "American dream" Gibbons or keep Titus' line about forgetting and remembering from becoming a cliched refrain.

But that doesn't matter -- after all, democracy rocks.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.