At other times, the debate moderators themselves become part of the story-and Lehrer is there to give us a backstage look at the drama. Barack Obama and John McCain barely make eye contact over the course of a ninety-minute discussion. Michael Dukakis stumbles badly over a question about the death penalty. Oftentimes these moments involve the candidates themselves and are seared into our collective political memory. Drawing on his own experiences as “the man in the middle seat,” in-depth interviews with the candidates and his fellow moderators, and transcripts of key exchanges, Lehrer isolates and illuminates what he calls the “Major Moments” and “killer questions” that defined the debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain. A veteran newsman who has presided over eleven presidential and vice-presidential debates, Jim Lehrer gives readers a ringside seat for some of the epic political battles of our time, shedding light on all of the critical turning points and rhetorical faux pas that helped determine the outcome of America’s presidential elections-and with them the course of history. “He explains and exposes their hopes and dreams, their strengths and failures as they try to put their best foot forward.”įrom the man widely hailed as “the Dean of Moderators” comes a lively and revealing book that pulls back the curtain on more than forty years of televised political debate in America. They have three daughters.ĪBOUT THE BOOK: “In his quiet but intense way, Jim Lehrer earns the trust of the major political players of our time,” notes Barbara Walters. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his novelist wife, Kate. This Event is Wednesday, Octoat 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary.ĪUTHOR: Jim Lehrer is the author of twenty novels, two memoirs, and three plays, and for years was the executive editor and anchor of The NewsHour on PBS. EVENT: A Conversation with Jim Lehrer, Tension City: Inside The Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain.
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