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Newton Minow's long engagement with the world of television began
nearly fifty years ago when President Kennedy appointed him
chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. As its head,
Minow would famously dub TV a vast wasteland, thus inaugurating a
career dedicated to reforming television to better serve the public
interest. Since then, he has been chairman of PBS and on the board
of CBS and elsewhere, but his most lasting contribution remains his
leadership on televised presidential debates. He was assistant
counsel to Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson when Stevenson first
proposed the idea of the debates in 1960; he served as cochair of
the presidential debates in 1976 and 1980; and he helped create and
is currently vice chairman of the Commission on Presidential
Debates, which has organized the debates for the last two decades.
Written with longtime collaborator Craig LaMay, this fascinating
history offers readers for the first time a genuinely inside look
into the origins of the presidential debates and the many battles
both legal and personal that have determined who has been allowed
to debate and under what circumstances. The authors do not dismiss
the criticism of the presidential debates in recent years but do
come down solidly in favor of them, arguing that they are one of
the great accomplishments of modern American electoral politics. As
they remind us, the debates were once unique in the democratic
world, are now emulated across the globe, and they offer the public
the only real chance to see the candidates speak in direct response
to one another in a discussion of major social, economic, and
foreign policy issues. Looking to the challenges posed by
third-party candidates and the emergence of new media such as
YouTube, Minow and LaMay ultimately make recommendations for the
future, calling for the debates to become less formal, with
candidates allowed to question each other and citizens allowed to
question candidates directly. They also explore the many ways in
which the Internet might serve to broaden the debates' appeal and
informative power. Whether it's Clinton or Obama vs. McCain, Inside
the Presidential Debates will be welcomed in 2008 by anyone
interested in where this crucial part of our democracy is headed
and how it got there.
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