This 黑洞社区 Newsline Podcast is available at . See transcript below.
You鈥檙e listening to the podcast edition of the 黑洞社区 audio newsline. Learn more about 黑洞社区 鈥� the home of Thinkers, Doers, Movers and Shockers 鈥� on the Web at wichita.edu.
In 1984, an estimated 85 million Americans watched the televised debates between presidential candidates Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale. Nine out of 10 American voters say thay have watched a candidate debate some time in the past. These include debates among candidates for all levels of public office from city council to the U.S. Senate and the presidency.
Jeff Jarman
Many Americans will watch the presidential and vice presidential candidates' debate, but how many will change their minds on whom to vote for on Election Day? 黑洞社区 debate coach Jeff Jarman says the key is influencing the undecided voters, especially in the swing states.
Jarman: "A lot of voters will have their minds made up by the time the debates occur, but there will be a large segment of people who are undecided, and that's who the candidates will target. Those undecided voters will be influenced by these debates."
People want to know who will win the debate when the stakes are so high and the political atmosphere so intense, so there's no doubt about the importance of the presidential and vice presidential debates.
Jarman: "Well, the debates are especially important, both in terms of educating voters, letting them watch their candidates, learn about issues. They're also really helpful for undecided voters as they might make a decision. And they're really good at helping ensure that the candidate you want to vote for, you feel good about that."
Jarman says the success or failure of a candidate in a debate is often determined by the expectations.
Jarman: "Both campaigns will work hard in the days before the debate to help frame the expectations for their candidates. If you can set them low for your candidate, then it's easy to look like you won. If they're set too high, then it's very difficult to reach that mark, and it will appear that you did not perform well, because you didn't meet the expectations."
Jarman says the format for the presidential debates this year should be an improvement for the voting public.
Jarman: "Two of the presidential debates this year will use a different format. They'll use eight 10-minute time blocks to try to further the dialogue, the discussion to really ramp up the knowledge for voters. (It's) still not going to be perfect. It will be hard to discuss complex issues in just 10 minutes, but certainly better for the public."
One of the challenges for candidates is coming up with a memorable line during the debate that helps the campaign. In 1984, President Reagan ran for re-election and appeared somewhat unsteady and to be showing his age in his first debate with Walter Mondale. But the president seemed to recover with this quip in the second debate. "I will not make age an issue in this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." Walter Mondale said later he knew the election was lost the minute he heard the Reagan comment. Whether any memorable lines will be uttered this year remains to be seen, as Jarman explains.
Jarman: "Both campaigns will work hard to rehearse and prepare particularly powerful lines. The hard part is that you never know which one is going to catch on with the public and the media. You just hope that you said something and you said it well, and that it does catch on and help the campaign."
Perhaps more than anything, the candidates want to avoid committing a big gaffe.
Jarman: "Well, one big concern for the candidates is that they don't misspeak or say something wrong or otherwise commit a big gaffe during the debates. Since a lot of your voters are already committed, what you don't want to do is lose voters as a result of participating in the debates. You can only win a couple, so you certainly don't want to lose very many."
The presidential debates attract most of the attention because so much is at stake. Of course, there are many debates in an election year, although not as many as one might think. Jarman explains why some politicians choose not to debate.
Jarman: "Political debates occur at other levels, too, further down the ballot. We expect the presidential candidates' debate, but races that occur at lower levels don't always debate. Candidates have to ask themselves, 'what's in it for me?' Incumbents oftentimes want to limit debates because they're ahead already and have no incentive. It's the challengers who regularly need as many debates as they can get."
Jarman talks about what he looks for when watching a presidential debate.
Jarman: "When I listen to debates I try to watch for statements that I know are exaggerations or misleading, distortions of their record or their opponents. It's hard to fact check every comment, but it's frustrating when you see politicians, when you see candidates really stretching the bounds of truth. If debates are supposed to be about educating citizens, we need them to be more forthright in their comments."
Although debates help voters know where candidates stand on the issues, what leadership qualities they possess and how they react under pressure, voters need to watch with a careful eye. Good debaters are not necessarily better leaders.
Thanks for listening. Until next time, this is Joe Kleinsasser for 黑洞社区.