A Debate About the Debates

Laura Knoy's picture
By Laura Knoy on Thursday, January 3, 2008.
listen: Listen with Windows Media PlayerListen with an MP3 Player

Controversy is swirling over three Presidential forums scheduled for this weekend in New Hampshire...because they will exclude less-popular candidates. The media sponsors say their goal is a deeper discussion among leading contenders, but their decision has caused an outcry...that shutting certain people out is un-democratic. We'll look at the controversy...and how presidential debates have evolved this year, with such a long campaign season and so many candidates.

Guests

  • Andy Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science at UNH and Director of the UNH Survey Center, the state's leading poll organization.
  • Thomas Patterson, Professor of Government and the Press for the Shorenstein Center at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He is also the author of several books, including "Out of Order", about the media's political role and "The Vanishing Voter", looking at the decline in electoral participation.

Web resources:

Related news:

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
McCain Returns, Criticizes Obama on Iraq

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Republicans Square Off in CD1 Debate in Manchester

Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Some Dems Still Say No To Obama

Related shows:

Monday, July 21, 2008
Pitchfork Music Festival 2008

Friday, July 18, 2008
Television News

Saturday, July 12, 2008
Which flat-screen TV's are greenest?

I agree with the caller on
Submitted by Jessica on Thu, 01/03/2008 - 10:36.

I agree with the caller on right now. Have you driven up Route 16 lately? Ron Paul is popular in the other New Hampshire but as usual they won't count. It may not be all about NH but it's pretty easy to see the unabashed attempt to manipulate the voter and tell then who they cannot vote for. New Hampshire people like any other community will be paying attention to debates occuring now on the eve of the primary whether they tuned in before or not.

Andy Smith pretty easily
Submitted by Beth Fenske on Thu, 01/03/2008 - 10:59.

Andy Smith pretty easily brushed off the woman who called w.r.t having no land line. How about people like me? I have caller ID. Almost everyone I know has caller ID. I don't answer "out of area" calls. Almost everyone I know doesn't answer "out of area" calls. It's WHY we have caller ID. His polls are most certainly not accurate enough to be excluding choices.

I am a Joe Biden supporter. If ABC deems my candidate irrelevant....I'll deem ABC irrelevant. Completely and ongoing. There are PLENTY of other channels to watch.
NPR News