Bobbleheads, Magic 8 Balls and other Smithsonian artifacts reveal historical significance of US presidential debates
New Indian ExpressThe debates were exceptionally persuasive: More than half the voters in 1960 said the debates had influenced their votes. But 16 years passed before candidate debates became a permanent fixture in the presidential campaign season. President Lyndon Johnson did not want to give Sen. Barry Goldwater free exposure in 1964, and Nixon was totally uninterested in 1968 and 1972. But by 1976, both candidates – Democrat Jimmy Carter was challenging incumbent Republican Gerald Ford – were willing to debate, and a tradition was established. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization that promotes voting rights, After two studies recommended a bipartisan organization be established to sponsor the debates and ensure their permanence, the Commission on Presidential Debates was created.
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