Debates bring substance to presidential campaign

Thus far, for all the tens of millions of dollars spent in advertising by both parties and their supporters, the presidential election campaign of 2004 has produced more fire than heat.
We've heard much about how bad the other guy is, some about what each is going to do for us and little about how they are going to do it. Let's hope that the series of debates that have now been agreed upon by President Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, will provide the answers to some of the how questions.
How do they intend to end the war in Iraq? How will their plans improve health care for Americans? How can the nation dig itself out of budget deficits that now loom into the trillions of dollars? How will they raise the money that the government needs to operate and that is needed to protect Social Security and Medicare? How will they create jobs, level the playing field of international trade, protect Americans at home and abroad, provide the educational tools that the nation needs if future generations are to be able to compete in the world economy?
So far, President Bush and Sen. Kerry have both promised to do all the things listed above -- and more. What they've been short on is the hows.
The debates have been set.
Schedule, formats
In Coral Gables Sept. 30, Jim Lehrer, anchor and executive editor of "The Newshour" on PBS, will moderate a debate centered on foreign policy and domestic security. In St. Louis Oct. 8, Charles Gibson, co-anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America," will be the moderator of a town-hall style session with questions coming from audience members on foreign and domestic issues. In Tempe, Ariz. Oct. 13, Bob Schieffer, chief Washington correspondent for CBS News and moderator of "Face the Nation," will moderate a debate on economic and domestic policy.
The debates will be broadcast live on the four major networks, plus cable channels and radio and will be covered extensively by all segments of the press. No voter in the United States will have an excuse for not being an informed voter on election day.
Given what is at stake, this year's debates should break the record for viewership. The most-watched debate took place Oct. 28, 1980, at Public Music Hall in Cleveland when more than 80 million people heard Republican challenger Ronald Reagan ask one of the most famous political questions of the century, "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?" Those voters who answered "no" sent President Jimmy Carter packing.
Twenty years earlier, on Sept. 26, 1960, a youthful looking John F. Kennedy won the debate over a perspiring Vice President Richard Nixon, even though analysts agree that Nixon scored far more points on substance than did Kennedy.
In this year's debates, consultants will be working with the candidates up to the night of the debate, honing both their appearance and their message.
Voters should pay particular attention to the message. Both candidates will promise the voter the world. The question is, how will they deliver?