Presidential Debates

If you are interested in presidential politics and think debates help decide the outcome of elections, this book is essential reading. Inside are fascinating accounts of what has gone on behind the scenes at every debate since Kennedy-Nixon. -- Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Schroeder's book is far and away the best I've ever come across on the history of presidential debates. -- Ken Rudin, political editor, National Public Radio

Covers the 2000 Bush-Gore and 2004 Bush-Kerry debates, including innovations in format and press coverage, and incorporates research into the analysis of televised debates since 1960. This book describes production in painstaking detail, from the selection of questioners to camera angles, from makeup to lighting and set design.Alan Schroeder's popular history now covers the 2000 Bush-Gore and 2004 Bush-Kerry debates, including innovations in format and press coverage, and adds new research on televised debates since 1960. Schroeder organizes his book according to a television production timeline, highlighting the importance of pre- and postdebate periods, as well as the live telecasts themselves. He describes production in painstaking detail, from the selection of questioners to camera angles, from makeup to lighting and set design. Televised debates represent a rare departure from well-choreographed campaigns, and new media such as YouTube continue to reshape form and content. Conducting interviews with journalists and industry insiders, and drawing on his own experience as an award-winning reporter and television producer, Schroeder delivers a fascinating backstage tour of every aspect of debate performance.