Presidential Debates

As you may or may not know, there are explicit rules that were originally implemented by the League of Women Voters for conducting a presidential debate. Since that time there has been some controversy about the context and how disproportionate it has become due to "politics". Review these sites, create a 3 page research paper (4 with bibliography) defending and discussing your viewpoint on your observations about this issue. Your report needs to summarize information and principles from the text. One of the most well known examples of media, in particular television, influencing participating voters was during the 1960 Presidential Debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. Experts who studied the transcripts of the debate and those who listened to the radio broadcast believed that Nixon had done a superior job. However, the content of Nixon's statements were not able to overcome his physical characteristics as they appeared on television.

Until 1992, the Kennedy-Nixon debate was undoubtedly the best example of media influence in elections. However, the 1992 election has proven to be equally as powerful of an example. During the 1992 election, comparisons were made between Bill Clinton and Kennedy. Clinton and his aids encouraged such comparisons, disseminating photos of a young, idealistic Clinton shaking hands with Kennedy. The media grabbed onto the idea and covered stories of Clinton's trips to visit the Kennedy's in Massachusetts.