Presidential Debate
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Dartmouth College
The first presidential talk-show debate was televised for three hours live, on PBS, featuring the eight main entrants in New Hampshire's Democratic primary. It held the attention of 9 million viewers as two veteran TV talk “personalities”, Ted Koppel and Phil Donahue, presided over a new era in campaign debates with Donahue's barbed follow-ups and no rules to follow. Candidates joked and broke in when the spirit moved them. It was great political theater, featuring; Left to right: John Glenn, Alan Cranston, Ernest Hollings George McGovern, Gary Hart, Walter Mondale, Jesse Jackson, Reubin Askew. Commenting on this free-wheeling debate, the President gibed, “There were so many candidates on the platform, there weren't enough promises to go around.” |
