What Happened in 1996?

Many pundits and newspapers supported Perot's inclusion. He was on the ballot in all 50 states, had "won" two of the three debates four years earlier, had captured an astounding 19 percent of the popular vote on his first presidential run, had received $29 million of federal funds for his 1996 campaign, and was polling at virtually the same level as he had in 1992 pre-debate polls. Seventy-six percent of eligible voters wanted Perot included in the 1996 presidential debates.

But, the real decision-makers -- Dole and Clinton -- wanted Perot out of the debates. Clinton didn't want Perot in the debates because he was winning by 26 points; he didn't need a wealthy wildcard changing the dynamic of the race. Dole desperately wanted Perot out of the debates because it was likely that Perot would take more votes away from him than from Clinton. Scott Reed, Dole's campaign manager, said, "We didn't want Perot in the debates. Nothing else really mattered. ... We made sure Perot wasn't going to be in the debates." On September 17, 1996, the CPD's Advisory Committee unanimously recommended inviting only Dole and Clinton to the presidential debates, and the board of the CPD unanimously approved the Advisory Committee's recommendation.

The CPD's ruling, however, did not terminate discussion about Perot. In fact, negotiations over Perot's participation had only just begun. On September 21, four days after the CPD announced that Perot did not have a "realistic chance of victory," major party negotiators met to draft a Memorandum of Understanding. During these debate negotiations, Perot's potential inclusion was actually used as a bargaining chip. Despite the CPD's ruling, Clinton proposed that Perot be included in the first debate. Clinton had every intention of participating in two-man debates, but he wanted to milk Perot's exclusion for all it was worth.

Dole was terrified of Clinton's proposal. He knew that Clinton could force Perot into the debates; the candidates certainly didn't have to participate in CPD-sponsored forums, and other organizations were more than willing to host inclusive presidential debates. To avoid that nightmare scenario, Dole awarded Clinton the right to dictate the terms of the debates (schedule, format, etc.) as long as he agreed to exclude Perot entirely. George Stephanopolous, senior advisor to President Clinton, explained, "[The Dole campaign] didn't have leverage going into negotiations. They were behind. They needed to make sure Perot wasn't in. As long as we would agree to Perot not being in it, we could get everything else we wanted going in. We got our time frame, we got our length, we got our moderator."

Unfortunately, to protect his lead, Clinton desired the smallest possible audience for the debates. He cancelled one debate, and scheduled the remaining two debates opposite major sporting events.

The CPD accepted the antidemocratic dictates of the Dole and Clinton campaigns; Perot was excluded and the schedule distorted.

The Clinton strategy was a rousing success. The presidential debates attracted the smallest audience ever. Fewer than half of all eligible voters turned out in 1996, the first time voter turnout in a presidential election had dipped below 50 percent since 1952.

Related Links
What Happened in 1988?
What Happened in 1992?
What Happened in 1996?
What Happened in 2000?
What Happened in 2004?
The 15 Percent Barrier