Segment from Fighting Words

Debate Me, Please!

When FDR refused to debate Republicans leading up to the 1936 presidential election, Senator Arthur Vandenberg took matters into his own hands. Vandenberg staged debates by splicing together audio of Roosevelt’s speeches and adding his own questions and rebuttals. When radio stations found out, many of them refused to air it. Historian Jill Lepore talked to the hosts about Vandenberg’s scheme and the early impact of radio debates.

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Debate Me, Please!

When FDR refused to debate Republicans leading up to the 1936 presidential election, Senator Arthur Vandenberg took matters into his own hands. Vandenberg staged debates by splicing together audio of Roosevelt’s speeches and adding his own questions and rebuttals. When radio stations found out, many of them refused to air it. Historian Jill Lepore talked to the hosts about Vandenberg’s scheme and the early impact of radio debates.

00:07:16

You Do Not Talk About Debate Club

In the early years of the Republic, young men across the former colonies created their own debating societies. Carolyn Eastman, a historian at Virginia Commonwealth University, says the clubs offered young men camaraderie and a way to learn how to advance professionally.

00:07:06

Refine, Rebut, Repeat

The hosts discuss the Lincoln/Douglas debates and how it set the stage for determining the future of slavery.

00:07:19

“The American Dream has been achieved at the expense of the American Negro.”

In 1965, more than 1,000 undergraduates crammed into the Cambridge Union debating society to watch American writers James Baldwin and William F. Buckley debate. Brian talks to Kennesaw State University historian Seneca Vaught about how Baldwin bested Buckley.

00:11:48

Debate Gaffes OR What Not To Do In A Debate

1976 was a rough year for Gerald Ford. He was taking flack from the American public for pardoning Nixon and when he was caught on camera falling down the steps of Air Force One, Chevy Chase made his clumsiness a running gag on “Saturday Night Live.” So, he gave in to debating Jimmy Carter in a bid to look more presidential. It did not go well. John Dickerson, host of “Face The Nation,” tells the story in this excerpt from his “Whistle Stop” podcast.

00:08:15

Are You Mocking Me?

One thing presidential candidates learned from Gerald Ford’s mistakes was the importance of formal preparation. Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm talked to the hosts about what it’s like to participate in a mock debate and her experience as Sarah Palin’s standin for Joe Biden’s 2008 vice presidential debate preparation.

00:11:31