Jim Lehrer: The Real Purpose of Presidential Debates<br />Chautauqua Institution - Amphitheater, Chautauqua Institution<br />Laurence Léveillé | Staff Writer<br />Presidential debates serve a greater purpose than just helping the public decide whom they want as president.<br />In his only solo appearance of the week, retired “PBS NewsHour” <br />anchor Jim Lehrer shared his thoughts on presidential debates and <br />criticized this year’s Republican primary debates during Wednesday’s <br />morning lecture.<br />A storm reached its peak a few minutes into the lecture, with a <br />momentary hiatus after heavy winds caused the onstage backdrop to <br />collapse. Audience members were asked to make room for those standing at<br /> the sides of the Amphitheater.<br />“Presidential debates — that’s what we came to talk about today,” <br />said Lehrer once the lecture began again, “and we’re going to talk about<br /> it.”<br />The 2012 presidential debates are just as important as any of those <br />that have occurred every election year. They are the only moments during<br /> campaigns when presidential candidates stand side by side and discuss <br />the same topics, Lehrer said.<br />It is important to remember that by the time the debates come along, <br />it is a month before Election Day. By that point, 90 percent of people <br />have already decided for whom they will vote or toward whom they lean <br />most strongly, Lehrer said. Despite that, people still watch the <br />debates.<br />Instead of watching them to determine whom they will vote for, he <br />said, people watch because the debates confirm their predispositions <br />about the candidates.<br />“It’s not necessarily a deciding thing, but a confirming thing of a <br />suspicion you already have or a good feeling you already have a about a <br />person,” Lehrer said.<br />The confirmations people look for happen through the candidates’ <br />gestures. Though the substance of the candidates’ answers is important, <br />the gestures have a greater effect.<br />Lehrer used several examples to make his point, including his <br />favorite. In a debate between President George H.W. Bush, Gov. Bill <br />Clinton and Ross Perot, moderated by Carole Simpson, Bush looked at his <br />watch seven times.<br />During the debates between Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush, Gore sighed while Bush was giving answers.<br />“The people who listened to the 2000 debate between Gore and Bush on <br />the radio thought Gore won that hands down,” Lehrer said. “The people <br />who saw it on television thought Bush won or Gore lost.”<br />In another instance, Sen. John McCain led in the polls before his <br />first presidential debate against then-Sen. Barack Obama in Mississippi.<br /> But McCain’s inability to interact with Obama gave people a negative <br />feeling. At the end of the debate, Obama was in the lead and maintained <br />the lead for the rest of the election season, Lehrer said.<br />“Body language is just as important as the spoken language in those debates,” he said.<br />Debates are also important because they can give people an idea of <br />whether they can imagine a candidate sitting in the Oval Office, making <br />decisions that affect lives and dealing with unexpected events.<br />When President George W. Bush was elected, Lehrer said, there were <br />not many huge issues. Within months, he was dealing with Sept. 11 and <br />the two wars that ensued.<br />Obama also found himself dealing with unfamiliar issues. The <br />financial crisis began as the 2008 presidential debates were beginning. <br />It was a topic Lehrer tried to ask both Obama and McCain about during <br />the debates.<br />“They talked about everything but that because they really were not grounded in the subject,” Lehrer said.<br />A majority of Obama’s term has been focused on issues involving jobs,<br /> housing and the financial crisis, Lehrer said. Whether Obama is <br />reelected, his first term will always be remembered for the unexpected <br />events, he said.<br />After discussing the importance of presidential debates, Lehrer made <br />three points of criticism about this year’s primary debates and <br />explained what should change for the 2016 primaries.<br />“Some of them resembled game shows, some of them were embarrassing,” he said.<br />In most cases, the two leading candidates in the polls were placed <br />center-stage and would get 15 to 20 minutes to speak before others had a<br /> chance.<br />But once each candidate is onstage, Lehrer said, they all should have<br /> an equal amount of time to speak. Instead of determining positions <br />based on polls, they should be drawn, he said.<br />People also should remember that the purpose of the primary debates <br />is different from the fall debates. Primaries help parties decide on <br />their presidential nominee.<br />“So let’s see all of them,” Lehrer said. “Let’s see all of the <br />candidates and see what their different views are about the same thing.”<br />Lehrer suggested that moderators ask candidates the same questions <br />and give all of them the chance to respond. Although there would <br />probably be fewer topics covered in the time allotted, it would help the<br /> process and the voters make a decision, Lehrer said.<br />One of the last points Lehrer made about the primary
