Comments on: Should Minor Party & Independent Presidential Candidates “Debate Down”? Lessons of 1948

By: Chronicler

Chronicler — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:05:16 +0000

Just for informational purposes, here is an overview of the Dewey-Stassen debate: http://www.ourcampaigns.com/EventDetail.html?EventID=41

By: Rationality and Science Education

Rationality and Science Education — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:54:24 +0000

Oh come on Larry, structured kabuki theater!

By: Larry Reinsch

Larry Reinsch — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:11:00 +0000

We seem to be looking at this from whats good for the candidates instead of what is good for the republic . Debates are always good as long as they are open debates. We the people need to demand participation and inclusion.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:22:05 +0000

Historian Darcy Richardson says there was no debate in 1936 between Lemke and Norman Thomas. Darcy says there was a joint press conference, sponsored by the NY Herald Tribune, at which each minor party presidential candidate, and also a representative for both Roosevelt and Landon, made a statement. But it wasn’t a debate.

By: Entdinglichung

Entdinglichung — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:12:50 +0000

are there any transcripts of the Thomas-Dobbs debate? … on German public TV, apart from the major debate with the leaders of the big parties, there was since 1994 always some days before the general elections a programm, where the spokespersons of all parties which are not represented in the national parliament (19 parties in 2005) debate for ~ 2 hours live on TV

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:04:27 +0000

The source of the article are various articles from the 1948 issues of the newspapers of the Socialist Party, the Progressive Party, the Socialist Labor Party, and the Socialist Workers Party.

By: David Gaines

David Gaines — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:00:08 +0000

Fascinating info for those interested in Norman Thomas and the history of how Socialist candidates interacted (or, more typically, didn’t interact) with Socialist Labor, Socialist Workers, and Communist candidates. What is the source for this info? New York Times?

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:28:20 +0000

I believe it wasn’t the first time that Norman Thomas debated another third party candidate. I remember reading someplace that Thomas debated Comgressman William Lemke, the 1936 Union Party candidate for president.

By: Steve Rankin

Steve Rankin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:38:11 +0000

In 1980, when President Carter initially refused to debate, Ronald Reagan and the independent John Anderson debated. Reagan and Anderson had already debated a number of times, when both were seeking the Republican nomination.

About a week before the election, Carter finally agreed to debate Reagan. Carter refused to allow Anderson into the debate.

Reagan carried 44 states.

Norman Thomas, of course, was the grandfather of Evan Thomas of Newsweek magazine.

By: Rationality and Science Education

Rationality and Science Education — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:02:12 +0000

The Public Relations standard is ‘make sure they spell my name correctly…….’

[No publicity is the only bad publicity????]