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.