1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: I'm editor Candice Gibson. Joints Day as Usual by staff 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: writer Joshua m clark. Hi. Hi, I had to use 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: your formal byline because you have on this John T 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: little reporter's hat and it's a typewriter in your lab, 7 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: and you're just like a throwback to the days of 8 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: your when when politics were good and pure and dirty, 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: but not as dirty. I've gone on Walter Winchell. In 10 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: other words, I'm getting very excited. I'm not going to 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: be in any of the presidential debates, but believe me, 12 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: I'm going to be watching them, especially especially the vice 13 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,200 Speaker 1: presidential debate. I'm really looking forward to that one. Yeah, 14 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: I'm very interested to see what happens, because you know, 15 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,639 Speaker 1: earlier this year in the in the presidential primaries, they 16 00:00:55,640 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: held a debate and Mr Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolis hosted, 17 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: and they were widely criticized for spending like the first 18 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: hour and a half asking just stupid pop culture questions 19 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: of the candidates. So, um, I'm kind of hoping that 20 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: the actual presidential debates are a little more refined, the 21 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: questions are a little more insightful, a little media. You're sure, 22 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: you know, I'm kind of hoping that Mr Jeremy Piven hosts, 23 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: or at the very least does the Ryan Seacrest thing 24 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:30,759 Speaker 1: of like awe snap or that kind of thing like 25 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: in and out of commercials. I know you're a big 26 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: Jeremy Piven f I'm a huge Jeremy Piven fan. For me, 27 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: no one but the PIVI will do well in my fiance. 28 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: But as a matter of fact, Mr Piven, if you're listening, 29 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 1: Candice has expressed several times that she would love to 30 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: receive an email from you, So I would strongly recommend 31 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: you do that. It would make her day. But for 32 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: all of you listening who were curious about presidential debates, 33 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: we'll move from Piven to Palin and other things more 34 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: a h Jermaine to that particular topic. I've actually got 35 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,919 Speaker 1: a little legend I want to confirm with you. Okay, 36 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: so I have heard, and I think this is kind 37 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: of a condensed version of it, but basically I heard 38 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: that Richard Nixon lost the nineteen sixty presidential election because 39 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: of a knee injury and it had something to do 40 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: with the debates. Is that is that fact or fiction? 41 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 1: That's fact? Well, it's sort of a long breadcrumb trail 42 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: of a story. But I think that most of you 43 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: guys know about the very famous televised debates between Nixon 44 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: and Kennedy. Essentially, Nixon went on TV looking like death 45 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: warmed over. He looked under weight and sallow, and he 46 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: wore the same color suit as the backdrop, and it 47 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: was nothing was working for him, nothing, nothing, nothing. And 48 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: then there's JFK who looks amazing as always, as always, tan, fit, smiling, charming, 49 00:02:55,320 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: the usual. But Nixon went on to lose a presidential 50 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: debate by all accounts of people watching it on TV, 51 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 1: but people who were listening on the radio to the 52 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:07,519 Speaker 1: debate thought that he was the winner. What did the 53 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: knee have to do with this? Though? Knee? He had 54 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: banged Disney into a car door a little while before, 55 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: and he'd gotten a staff infection as a result, and 56 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: that's why he felt like death warmed over. Yeah, hence 57 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: the the underweight, underweight body and the salary skin and 58 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 1: just nothing going right for him. And this was like 59 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: one of the first televised debates, right, the first between 60 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: two party nominated candidates. So you have the Democrat Canada 61 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: and the Republican candidate. And it was on TV nineteen sixties, septembery. 62 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: History in the making. Yeah, they call it the Great Debates. 63 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: Now there are three of them, I believe something like that. So, um, 64 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: you know, presidential debates, as far as I know, um, 65 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: actually were born out of a senatorial debate. They're not 66 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: that old. It was I think Abraham Lincoln who was 67 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: debating a guy named Stephen Douglas for the senatorial seat 68 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: in Illinois, right, And the best part of that is 69 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: that he wasn't even debating him at first. He was 70 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: following Stephen Douglas round on the campaign trail and heckling 71 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: him from the audience. And eventually this sort of mounted 72 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: into what became debates, right, right, They had like a 73 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: three hour debate over the slavery right. And Uh, the 74 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: weird thing is, as I understand, Lincoln didn't debate two 75 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: years later he lost that seat to Douglas. Um, he 76 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: didn't debate two years later at all when he was 77 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: running for president in eighteen sixty, which he won obviously. 78 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: So I guess presidential debates had that first, you know, 79 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: beginning that flash on stage, but didn't really catch on 80 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: until what like the thirties or forties, right, Yeah, back 81 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty four, I think is when they sort 82 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,479 Speaker 1: of came into the limelight again and people liked the 83 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: idea of presidential debates because it was it was a 84 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: new concept. You know, people knew a lot about the 85 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: candidates with the idea of hearing them square off against 86 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: each other. There there's something really revelatory about hearing someone 87 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:09,039 Speaker 1: respond to what a colleague is saying, or a political 88 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: foe or ally. You know, it really brings out your 89 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: true thoughts and your true feelings on a topic when 90 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: you're having to speak off the cuff to what someone 91 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 1: is saying or what someone is asking you. And and 92 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: that was the great thing about debate is that people 93 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: got to see the real truth behind what the candidate said. 94 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: It wasn't just a rehearsed speech. Yeah, it's it's pretty 95 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: much a public service. I mean, if you think about it, 96 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: everything else you know about a candidate is coming out 97 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:38,039 Speaker 1: of that candidate's mouth. It's rehearsed or it's a press release. Yeah, 98 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: there's a big pr machine behind Canada. Sure, and and 99 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: at that moment when they're debating their their arrival or 100 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: being asked to follow up question or something, they're having 101 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: to think on their feet and you can really see, 102 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,160 Speaker 1: you know, is this person actually smart? Do they really 103 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: know what they're talking about? It's uh, it's kind of necessary. 104 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: But the thing is, as far as I understand, um, 105 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:04,600 Speaker 1: that kind of spontaneity is not found in presidential debates anymore. 106 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: Apparently there's this group called the Commission on Presidential Debates 107 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: and they controlled um, not the not the ones in 108 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: the primary anything like that, but the three main presidential 109 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: and vice presidential debates held right before the elections. Um, 110 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: they control those with an iron fist, you know about 111 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 1: the CPD. Yeah, and you're right, iron fist is the 112 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: right term for it. Everything from the height of the 113 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: podium to the temperature of the room, to which cities 114 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: even get considered to be site for these debates. And 115 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: it's a pretty big deal to be the site of 116 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: a presidential debate. I think there's like a seven thousand 117 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: plus dollar application fee. You have to have enough hotel 118 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: rooms available for a certain thousand number of galass three 119 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: hotel rooms. Yeah, so you have to really petition essentially 120 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: to become a site for one of these, and it 121 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: is a great honor. But I mean the town, you know, 122 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 1: is just the backdrop to what goes on, and what 123 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: goes on is essentially a very well oiled pr presentation 124 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: of Some people would argue, well, it's all very staged 125 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: and what's more, um originally, uh well, let me back up. 126 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: There's this thing called the communications After nineteen thirty four, 127 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: you've heard of this. There's this thing called the Equal 128 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: Time Provision, which is a clause in this law that 129 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: says that any candidate running for um, you know, the 130 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: presidency or something like that, has to have equal time 131 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: in the media. And this actually came up. Do you 132 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: remember when Fred Thompson was running in the O eight primaries. 133 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: Everybody was a little worried that he may get more 134 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: exposure UM through Law and Order reruns and they were 135 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: talking about having to to not run ones that featured 136 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: him while he was on the campaign trail. He dropped 137 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: out before it got resolved, but that was because of 138 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: the Equal Time Provision, and that used to govern all 139 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: of the debates UM until I think nineteen seventy four 140 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: or something like that. Uh, the ce CE, the Federal 141 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: Communications Commission, came out and said, Okay, we're going to 142 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 1: We're gonna make a loophole here. We're gonna call presidential 143 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: debates bona fide news events as long as they're hosted 144 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,120 Speaker 1: by a third party. Uh, the equal time provision doesn't 145 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: doesn't hold water any longer for just for debates, you 146 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: know bout that. Yeah, and Nix and I think was 147 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: pretty active and vetoing the equal time provision too. Yeah, 148 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: I think he had pretty sour feelings about his televised 149 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: debates days. Um, he actually did make it to the 150 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: White House in the end, not during the Kennedy debates, 151 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:41,439 Speaker 1: if he, uh not, just Nixon, Johnson, Jimmy Carter that 152 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:45,199 Speaker 1: these politicians used to um keep debates from going on 153 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: because of the equal time provision. They said no, then 154 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: they just couldn't hold a debate because the other candidates 155 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: would get more exposure, right and in their eyes, you know, 156 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: saying no to debate, Yeah, you came across looking sort 157 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: of badly, but how being I guess a bad rap 158 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: was better than going on TV and looking like a 159 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: fool or allowing your opponent to look really good, right. Yeah, 160 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: So so this was kind of manipulated. And then the 161 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: FEC came out and created this loophole so politicians couldn't 162 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 1: crippled debates or keep debates from going on without them 163 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: any longer. Um. And that third party caveat that they 164 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: introduced was actually filled by the League of Women Voters. 165 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: And these women were serious and you know, women fought 166 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: really hard for suffrage. A lot of lives were lost, 167 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: a lot of people went to prison, and they were 168 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: dead said and determined that they were going to turn 169 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: around this sort of chaotic scene that had become the 170 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,560 Speaker 1: presidential debate and talk about ruling something with an iron fist. 171 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: They were even more stringent than the CPD is today. No, 172 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,559 Speaker 1: definitely they can. They controlled the format, the questions, they 173 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: chose the moderator. I believe they chose the site. But 174 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,079 Speaker 1: the thing is with the League of Women Voters, fairness 175 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: was pairing amount to them, and they actually carried it 176 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: out really well. They were very fair. Um. Anybody who 177 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,719 Speaker 1: was a viable presidential candidate was was invited. Uh, if 178 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 1: you didn't want to show up, they still held the debate. 179 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: Jimmy Carter found that out the hard way, and Ronald Reagan, 180 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: who was then governor of California, shows up and just 181 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: blows the television audience away and gets carried into the 182 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: White House. I mean, that wasn't the only factor, but 183 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:27,680 Speaker 1: that was a big one. So the league um just 184 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: kind of said, you know what, this is about the 185 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,719 Speaker 1: political process. It's not about the parties. Uh, if you 186 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: guys want to join in, bring your best, you know, 187 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 1: and if if not, then the other guys are gonna 188 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: bring their best and we'll go on without you. And 189 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 1: that actually kind of irked them, I think, kind of 190 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 1: irk maybe an understatement, but the Democratic and Republican parties 191 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: eventually took control of debates because they become so powerful, right, 192 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: they drafted a memoranum of understanding between them. This is 193 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: when Ducakas and George H. Bu Bush we're running for office, 194 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: and between the two parties, they decided, we can take 195 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:08,199 Speaker 1: power back, and we can run debates our way, and 196 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: we can make it that the debates are just between 197 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 1: the two parties. It just comes down to the Democrats 198 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: and Republicans. And essentially what they were clamoring for was 199 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,559 Speaker 1: a press conference relay where candidates could have questions ahead 200 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: of time to rehearse, and they knew exactly what was 201 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: going to be asked of them, they knew what format 202 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: would be used, and essentially they overtook the l WV 203 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: and they were not happy. They actually called it a 204 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: a fraud on the American voter falling down. They stepped 205 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: back and said, you know, we're not going to have 206 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 1: any part of this, and I guess the Democrats are 207 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: Republicans were all too happy. That's when the Commissioned Presidential 208 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,320 Speaker 1: Debates was created because they needed that third party still 209 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 1: to keep debates bona fide, new to the news events. 210 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:54,680 Speaker 1: But since they were controlling the CPD, they also controlled 211 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: who showed up. Like uh in ross Pero Member ross Pero, 212 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: he uh he had a great showing at a presidential debate, 213 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 1: so much so that in n the the Democrats and 214 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: Republicans didn't let him come on to the presidential debates. 215 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: He was excluded, and later he tried to sue, but 216 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: he ended up losing that case because the equal time 217 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: provision loophole was there. He he really had no basis 218 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: in in the case, but he's still he wasn't allowed 219 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 1: to debate in these supposedly fair and open debates because 220 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: the CPD said no, because the Democrats and Republicans told 221 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:33,960 Speaker 1: it not to. And that's the other thing about the 222 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: CPD that that kind of makes it so nefarious. It 223 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 1: acts as a shield, a publicity shield, between the American 224 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: voter and the two parties. I think that when Ross 225 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: Perot was not allowed to participate, people were actually pulled 226 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: to see who they blame for that, and only a 227 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,200 Speaker 1: very small number blamed Bush, a very small number blamed Clinton. 228 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: Most of them blamed the CPD has something like or 229 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: something like that. Yeah, So basically you've got this entity 230 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 1: created did by the two parties to enforce the two 231 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: party system. And this is what we're seeing today, uh 232 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: at presidential debates. And I mean, like the follow up 233 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: question format completely thrown out. Um. The questions are prepared 234 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,160 Speaker 1: for ahead of time. It's like you said, well oiled, 235 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:19,439 Speaker 1: well rehearsed. I think in a two thousand John Kerry, 236 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: who is just a senator back then, UM complained that 237 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 1: that the questions that were asked were a little um 238 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 1: below par. I think he said, you could have grabbed 239 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: ten people off the street who don't know the difference 240 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,199 Speaker 1: between Jerusalem and Georgia, and they would have asked better questions. So, 241 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,680 Speaker 1: I mean, you know these are not I guess the 242 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,320 Speaker 1: point is is public or presidential debates are no longer 243 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:46,720 Speaker 1: a public service. It's just like one big, televised, expensive 244 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: press release. But people demand it. You know, they still 245 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: want to see the debate. People still like to watch 246 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: them and see what's going on. And you know, you 247 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: could read a newspaper summary the next day and probably 248 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: glean the same information. But there's something still to be 249 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: fount owned in a candidate's facial expressions or the way 250 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: that the audience responding to the candidate. And another issue 251 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: with presidential debates that's come up is the polls that 252 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: are taken afterward. How accurate are these polls that say, oh, 253 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: I think so and so one the debate, so and 254 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: so is going to win the election. You know, they're 255 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: not always accurate. And now in our modern era, when 256 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: a lot of these are conducted by computer, for instance, 257 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: you have a younger segment of the population casting votes 258 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: in these polls, so you're not having the older segments 259 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: of the population represented. So there's a grave disparity there, 260 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: especially in snap polls, you know, those very quick, immediate 261 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: online polls where you know, they're the people who are 262 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: going to fill them out are a little more web 263 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: savvy than than the people who aren't. So yeah, and 264 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: the other problem is that these polls are so widely 265 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: broadcast they actually influence UM voter impressions of things, you know, 266 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: like who who? Who won the presidential debate. I could 267 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: really say I thought it was a tie, but this 268 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 1: poll says that this candidate one, So I guess that 269 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 1: candidate one. So I mean, what's what's the point of polls? Anyway? 270 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: It's a good question, but you know, it's funny. We 271 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: talked about how the web is influencing certain aspects of polls. 272 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 1: It's also influencing aspects of the debates themselves. Back in 273 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties, the big thing was TV, and now 274 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: the big thing is Internet essentially, and all this other 275 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: media things like Twitter, YouTube, even MTV, they've all played parts. 276 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:30,480 Speaker 1: In the two thousand and eight, they held something with 277 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: my Space. Yeah, I think people could post questions and 278 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:35,360 Speaker 1: then they were answered. Is that right? Yeah? It was 279 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 1: real time questions via instant message or email. UM and 280 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: the moderator chose the best ones and asked one candidate 281 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: at a time. It was pretty cool format. I think 282 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: I read and wired that as far as the tech 283 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: communities concerned, the MTV, MySpace UM town hall meetings, they 284 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: weren't actually debate since there's just one candidate there one 285 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: the new Technology UH award I guess for the presidential 286 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: debate so far, The one that fascinated me was the 287 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: one via Twitter. Because in Twitter you can only use 288 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: I think a hundred forty characters for a response, and 289 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: so that really really slims down what's usually a big 290 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:20,040 Speaker 1: oratorical just cloud of of words and insinuations that candidates 291 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 1: had to give very direct responses to these questions. So 292 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: who knew Richard Nixon's knee had anything to do with Twitter? 293 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: You know who knew? Can? Oh god, you're so welcome? 294 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: And something else fun that I know. One of my 295 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: very favorite lines from a presidential debate ever dan Quayle 296 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: and Lloyd Benson. Dan Quel compared himself to John Kennedy. 297 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: This is what Lloyd Benson said, I knew Jack Kennedy. 298 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, You're no 299 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: Jack Kennedy to the end of the debate. Yeah, and 300 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 1: that killed Quayle certainly did shot the dunk. There's a 301 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: whole lot mored of know presidential debates, and you can 302 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: find out and how president until debates work on how 303 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. For more on this and thousands 304 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Let 305 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:11,959 Speaker 1: us know what you think, send an email to podcast 306 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:19,880 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com.