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| Reports and LettersThe Century Fund, a former sponsor of the CPD, assembled a task force to study the presidential debates composed of prominent political figures and media executives, including Michael Dukakis, former Democratic Presidential Candidate; Wyche Fowler, Jr., former Democratic Senator from Georgia; Ted Turner, Vice Chairman of AOL Time Warner; and Dotty Lynch, Political Editor of CBS News. The Task Force produced seven recommendations, including, "The Presidential Debates Commission should broaden its criteria beyond its current threshold of whether a candidate has a 'realistic chance' of being elected to consider whether or she has "a real likelihood of having a substantial impact on the outcome of the election. See all seven recommendationsThe hosts of "Fox News Watch" -- Newsday columnist James Pinkerton, communications professor Jane Hall, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, FOX News media analyst Eric Burns, and Jeff Cohen, president of Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting -- issued a joint statement, "We are media critics and commentators who are rarely unanimous in our opinions. Yet we are united in our belief that voters would be better served by broader debates than those sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. See full statement The Task Force on Campaign Reform, which was commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts and consists of 14 distinguished election scholars, made the following recommendation, "We recommend that the existing Commission be significantly revamped or even replaced by a new, more independent debate organizing body capable not only of maintaining the cooperation of both major parties, but also of representing the interests of the broader public. See full report Dozens of civic leaders, professors, journalists, elected officials and artists wrote a letter to the CPD demanding the inclusion of Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan in the 2000 presidential debates, "The American people are ready to move beyond the current two-party system. This is because many of the issues we care most about -- the expanding prison/industrial complex, the failed drug war, and corporate globalization -- continue to be ignored by the two major parties. To a growing number of Americans, it does not appear coincidental that many of the larger campaign contributors benefit from ignoring such issues. Candidates for the Office of President of the United States should be confident, if not eager, to debate other candidates. We ask that the CPD not only open the debates to Mr. Nader and Mr. Buchanan, but open up its own decision-making process to major third party representatives as well. See full letter The Vanishing Voter Project of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University published a report on the presidential debates titled "How Viewers 'See' a Presidential Debate." The report found: "The Commission on Presidential Debates, which is dominated by the major parties, has decided that the debates should be restricted to candidates who have the support of 15% of likely voters in pre-debate polls. Most Americans think otherwise. See full report Related Links |
