12 总统 论(doc)
12. Presidential Debates 　　Debates among candidates are rare in most countries. But they have become a staple1 of American politics, particularly during the last 25 years. Americans like debates because the candidates can be compared in an unscripted, live performance. The candidates don't know what questions will be asked, nor what their opponent might say. History indicates that a bad performance, particularly a telling gaffe2, can badly damage a candidate in the polls. The debates are a “ key test” of the strength and abilities of the candidates, says CNN analyst Jeff Greenfield. A candidate cannot package himself in debates the way he can in party advertisements but must be quick on his feet3 to respond to unanticipated4 questions and criticisms, he adds. 　　The unforgettable debate quip5 that can deflate6 a candidacy is the worst nightmare of any presidential hopeful.“ There you go again” , Ronald Reagan's memorable retort7 to President Jimmy Carter, was a line8 that stuck with both viewers and commentators in the l980 presidential campaign. Carter went on to lose the election, polls showed mostly because of the economy. But Carter's debate performance didn't help. Another example was Vice President Walter Mondale's deadly question to Senator Gary Hart, his main competitor in the 1984 Democratic primaries, “ Where's the beef?” Mondale borrowed the line from a hamburger commercial that had used the phrase to suggest that competing products shortchanged9 the consumer. Mondale, in effect, suggested that Hart's ideas were short on substance. 　　The potential of debates to damage a vulnerable presidential hopeful is one reason why some candidates, particularly frontrunners10, are reluctant to risk their chances in such an uncontrolled environment--and the fewer debate rules there are,the less control the candidates have.But broadcast presidential debates,both in the primaries and in the general election,are now routine and expected by the American people. It was not always so. Face-to-face presidential debates began their broadcast history in 1948 when Republicans Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen faced each other in a radio debate during the Oregon Republican presidential primary. The first broadcast television debates between the two major party nominees were in 1960 when Senator John F. Kennedy faced Vice President Richard Nixon.The debates were considered crucial to Kennedy’ s narrow11 victory. Interestingly, Americans who heard the debate on radio thought Nixon had won. But the far larger television audience applauded Kennedy's performance, testimony to the importance--in the television age--of image as well as substance. The point is Americans are concerned not just with a leader's policies and ideology12, but also with his character and temperament13. In the contentious14 atmosphere of a debate, such personal attributes15 are easier for voters to judge than in pre-packaged campaign commercials or formal speeches. Because television debates were deemed so crucial to the outcome of the 1960 election--dooming Richard Nixon to a narrow loss in the opinion of many analysts--the presidential nominees in the subsequent three presidential elections shield16 away from debates, feeling the risks were too great. Not until 1976 when Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter confronted President Gerald Ford was there another presidential debate. Since then, there have been debates in each of the presiden tial election years. The American people now expect them and it is doubtful a candidate could refuse to participate, analysts say. Since 1987, the presidential debates have been organized by the bipartisan17 organization, the Commission on Presidential Debates. Its purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the two major parties. In Election 2000, the commission set a threshold18 for the participation of third party candidates in the debates. They must show they have the support--as evidenced in a number of opinion polls--of at least 15 percent of the population. Whatever the quality of the debates in Election 2000, they are unlikely to equal the most famous political debates in American history which occurred long before the invention of radio and television. In 1858, Stephen Douglas debated Abraham Lincoln for a U.S. Senate seat. The debates were held at seven sites throughout Illinois, one for each of the seven congressional districts. Douglas, a pro-slavery Democrat,was the incumbent19.Lincoln was anti-slavery. “ Honest Abe,” as he was endearingly called, lost the Senate race, but two years later was elected the first Republican president of the United States. The Lincoln
12 总统 论(doc)