Npr_host: Well hello! Welcome to NPR’s online chat. Tonight we’re
talking about the debates. Our guests are Karlyn Bowman, a
scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, and Stephen Hess,
with the Brookings Institution. Please submit your questions now.
Welcome to NPR’s Online Chat. Our first guest, Karlyn Bowman, is
here…
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 ahout 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 ahout the vice presidential
debate tonight. What are your thoughts? Welcome Stephen Hess
to the chat.
npr_guest [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.
npr_host: Was it more informative than past debates?
npr_guest [Hess]: one candidate or another. yes it was more informatve
than past debates. just count the major differneces between
these two candidates which they expressed boldly and proudly
and it was clear to me that it was possibly the most informative
debate we have had.
Commentary
The First Presidential Debate: Who Won?
October 5, 2000