A Debate About the Debates

By Laura Knoy on Thursday, January 3, 2008.

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.
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I agree with the caller on
Jessica - Thu, 01/03/2008 - 09:36

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
Beth Fenske - Thu, 01/03/2008 - 09:59

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.