NPR Host: Next joining us is Stephen Hess with the Brookings
Institution. Please submit your questions now. We’re talking
about the debates tonight The vice presidents are debating
tonight in Kentucky. Our last guest predicted there would be
fewer fireworks. but vice presidents traditionally play the attack
dog role. What do you think about the debates? Do you plan on
watching? Please send in your comments and questions now.
Stephen Hess with the Brookings Institution will be joining us in
just a couple of minutes. He’ll talk about the vice presidential
debate tonight. What are your thoughts? Welcome Stephen Hess
to the chat
Stephen Hess: My wife and I are NPR junkies so this is a new
experience. The first debate was exceptionally useful we saw two
candidates who fundamentally disagreed on very important
issues. so if you want to view it as a learning experience rather
than an entertaining experience, we are way ahead. it’s clear that
the candidates figured we would be listening for only ten minutes
so every ten minutes they said the same thing over again, so it
was not stimulating television, but it certainly should have given
the attentive listener enough reasons to cast his or her ballot for…
Commentary
The First Presidential Debate: Who Won?
October 5, 2000