The CNN Effect Book

Very thorough, even-tempered, academic treatment of the cynical, democracy-thwarting BIpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

The CPD was created in 1988 to replace presidential debate sponsorship from the NONpartisan League of Women Voters. Their stated mission was to institutionalize the debates (which the League had already begun to accomplish) and to support the two-party system. The latter goal, at then expense of voters and democracy itself, has largely been achieved, as it agrees to whatever schedule, "debate" format(actually joint press conference), and bland, non-challenging moderator suggested by the major-party nominees' campaigns. Perot was allowed to participate in 1992 because Bush Sr. wanted him there (when Perot suspended his campaign in July of '92, Clinton's poll numbers shot up 14%, but Bush rose only 3%; Perot resumed his campaign at the end of Sept.).

I gave only 3 stars here because the cleverly-titled "No Debate" doesn't make for scintillating reading. That said, it is geometrically more exciting and informative than the stilted quadrennial joint press conferences perpetrated by the CPD, mainstream media, the duopolistic Republican and Democratic "parties" (yee-hah!), and the major-party candidates themselves, all of whom robotically go about honoring the chore of these highly-staged presentations while trying to shield themselves from answering the toughest, most substantial questions from real members of the public.

Nader and Buchanan would have surely expanded the range of topics in 2000. This year, third-party candidates from the right and left, all of whom were opposed to the wars and the US$700bn "bail-out," clearly would have also shifted the debate terrain.

But neither of the major parties nor the CPD are interested in real democracy breaking out.