Presidential Debates

Abstract

Presidential candidates will continue to debate civil liberties; however, Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) decisions may limit the range of participants. After Dewey expressed his belief that the bill violated constitutional civil liberties, such issues and the image of American democracy remained prominent in presidential debates. During the first presidential debate of 1996, President Clinton and Robert Dole heartily disagreed on First Amendment freedom. Bush opposed a "national registration of firearms"; Clinton supported the gun control measures in the Brady bill; Perot chastised ineffective policies. In the 2000 debate, Vice President Al Gore and Republican challenger George W. Bush differed on school vouchers, the abortion pill RU-486, and Internet filters to shield children from pornographic material. Debates affect how citizens interpret candidates' varying positions on civil liberties; rulings by the CPD, created in 1987 have been questioned. Campaigning was reserved for "surrogate debaters" and party machines.