Jim Lehrer: "Tension City"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-09-13/jim-lehrer-tension-city
Jim Lehrer likens the job of moderating a presidential debate to “walking down the blade of a knife.” And he should know. Lehrer has moderated eleven presidential debates. It’s a distinction that’s earned him the nickname, the “dean of moderators.” In his new book, “Tension City,” Lehrer shares an insider’s account of the debate process. He draws on his own experience, and in-depth interviews with candidates and fellow moderators. His wife, Kate Lehrer, has been with him every step of the way. They take us inside the high-stakes world of presidential debates.
Guests
Jim Lehrer
executive editor and anchor of PBS NewsHour; author of two memoirs, three plays, and twenty novels. He has moderated eleven presidential debates.
Kate Lehrer
author, most recently of "Confessions of a Bigamist."
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Program Highlights
President George H.W. Bush once described debates to Jim Lehrer: "Those big-time things, it was tension city." Lehrer has been in tension city 11 times as a presidential debate moderator. He talked with Diane about how he prepares for debates, comes up with questions, and values his wife Kate's judgment about his work.
Acknowledging Mistakes in Debates
"One time in a debate between George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, I literally mis-saw the cue. The cues were red, yellow and green lights and I - George H.W. Bush was giving an answer. He was right in the middle of the answer and I stopped him and said 'Time's up' and he looks at me. This is 50, 60 million people were watching and he looks at me and says, 'No, no, no, no, hey, yellow light's on,' and, of course, he was absolutely right. And I said, 'Oh, Mr. President, I'm sorry and go ahead.' And he said, 'I forgot what I was going to say, '"Lehrer said.
"I Always Assumed the Audience is Just as Smart as I am"
A listener asked Mr. Lehrer how he, as a debate moderator, can press candidates to give real answers rather than to avoid the question altogether. "Interviewers and moderators are not in the demand business. They're in the asking questions business. And you can ask a question and you can ask it a second time, you can ask it a third time...I always assumed that the audience is just as smart as I am," Lehrer said.
Avoiding Leaks
"I always maintained absolutely security. I mean, five days before every debate that I was moderating, I quit talking about it, even to members of the news, our staff, and talked only to Kate about it. And because if you start talking and then somebody, well, hey, is Lehrer gonna ask such and such and such? Well, I don't know. And before you know it, it gets back. And keeping in mind the intensity and the stakes it would be a godsend to a particular candidate to find out in advance that Billy Bob was gonna ask a certain question. And so you gotta make sure that that does not happen," Lehrer said.
Maintaining Impartiality
A caller wondered whether Mr. Lehrer has ever had thoughts about whether or not a particular candidate would be a better choice than the other while moderating a debate. "I'm so concentrated on what I'm there to do that things like that, those kinds of thoughts, I don't even - I don't have. My mind is not large enough to bring in any outside thing like that. I just don't allow myself to make those kinds of judgments. 'Cause once you sit there thinking, well, is this guy gonna really be a good president or he, blah, blah, blah, forget it. That's not what I'm there to do. I'm there to make sure that people get the information so they can decide those kinds of things. And I don't wanna clutter up my thought processes with that," Lehrer said.
A Reliable Sounding Board
Lehrer always runs his questions by his wife, Kate, who has been unfailingly honest when she thinks he should tweak his questions for the candidates. He said that if anyone running a debate ever asked him for advice, he would tell them, "Hire Kate Lehrer."
Comments
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Congratulations on your new book. I like the "news hour" watch it often. I do not have any questions on the debates you moderated, suffice it to say you did an excellent job.
Question, is David Brooks the best you can do to represent the conservative side with Mark Shields on the News Hour. What I see is a moderate liberal leaning RINO vs. Mark Shields. Do you read and listen to what David Brooks says and writes, are you trying to appeal to a liberal audience? I just do not get the thinking on this selection of commentator in this role.
Well it is easier to prep for and execute such a debate when you get to ignore 80% of the candidates.
Neither Lehrer nor NPR practice true journalism. They do practice self interest at the expense civic preparation for government of, by, and for the people. Money buys "free speech", free speech dollars decides government. Citizen's rebellion follows.
monte is too shy to nominate his masterace ideal: Steven Colbert to replace the thoughtful and cerebral David Brooks.
Then Jon Stewart could assume the chair where he belongs, replacing Shields.
I'd love a debate about the big prostate personalities of Obama, Perry and our next President Mitt Romney. A self-important nation demands self-important leadership.
Where are the books that are written by both Kate and Jim Lehrer sold? And in which categories should i be looking for the wonderful novels that Jim writes? I loved the One-eyed Mack stories, because I remember Oklahoma City of the 40s as a grade-schooler there. I do pick up my best buys at the AAUW Used Book Sales, but it's hard to find the new books.
I'd like to see the rules for the debates changed to where a candidate gets 2 or 3 chances to answer the question posed. Once they refuse to answer the question those 2 or 3 times, they are exlcuded from the rest of the debate. Of course, the candidates would never agree to that, but it's nice to dream.
I understand that you have to let go of unanswered questions and move on at times. However; one of the most admirable things about Diane Rehm is that she is so persistant and does not easily let politicians off the hook. I admire that she persists in getting an answer from the person being interviewed. JMO
The panel does not seem to recall that Reagan was prepped for debate with a stolen copy of Carter's own debate-briefing book. He was well reviewed from the debate in part because expectations had been low. Once he knew what Carter would say ahead of time, it was rather easier to succeed.
See, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debategate
Is there a more prolific author than Jim Lehrer? I think not. I feel fortunate to have gotten the chance to ask him a question on today's program. I asked the second to last question in which I referenced Newt Gingrich scolding a moderator from stage in a recent GOP debate. I asked Mr. Lehrer if he had ever experienced something similar. -thankfully, he has not. I imagine it's harder to "lash out" at a man of Mr. Lehrer's integrity. His response that "Newt Gingrich has made a career of lashing out at the media" was spot on. If you are interested in seeing the video I referenced, you can find it on Hubski: here is the link:
http://hubski.com/pub?id=4743
Ir is with great interest that i listened to to the interview by Diane Rehm of Jim Lehrer, the eminent moderator of eleven debates. I am honored that the proposal I made 55 years ago, with the personal letter endorsement to me and others on the Democrat side by the late Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and on the Republican side by Governor Theodore Mc Keldin, laid the ground to the first debate on September 25, 1960 when Richard M.Nixon and John F . Kennedy metl Until, i had step forth in l956, history records that none ever had suggested presidential campaign debates. I am proud that finally these days credit is given to me as the one per the Nixon Foundation blog, provided the "spark"that led to the first debate in l960.
" I came to the US on borrowed money on 1952, served in the US Army from 1953till 1955. i was naturalized while in the 82 nd Airborne at Fport Bragg on November 24, 1953, when I became a naturalized citizen. I took that citizenship seriously, I Am that immigrant and a naturalized citizen who has survived the Holocaust Fred A. Kahn , then a University of Maryland student and Vice-President of its International Club, who proposed modern Presidential campaign debates. The press wires carried his proposal nationwide. See more about Fred Kahn and presidential campaign debates at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-kelly/the-american-spirit-perso_b_268138.html AND http://blog.nixonfoundation.org/2010/09/the-road-to-the-1960-debates/ I wish Mr. Lehrer and his esteemed spouse many more good years in good health. You make a difference. Best Regards to the esteemed Diane Rehm and the highly regarded Jim Lehrer and spouse , from Fred A. Kahn, Bethesda,Md, now 78 years old. I am still alive and active as the moderator of the worldwide Yahoo! group Remember_The _Holocaust which has now over 26,500 postings since inception 9 years ago amf 273 participant members worldwide.
My only criticism of Jim Lehrer's book is that he did not have the curiosity to look into how the presidential debates came about.If he had, he would have found out that when i advanced the idea , many considered it "anachronistic",; most did not expect it ever to pass ,================ Of course, Jim Lehrer was too young to be aware of my proposal since he was only ten years old and likely still wearing "lederhosen''. ". Even the President of the University of Maryland Dr. Wilson Elkins ( I still have the original and the personal letters from Mrs Roosevelt, the widow of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Governor Thedore Mc Keldin, as well as the clipping of the article in the Baltimore Sun of August 28, 1956, "Ïmmigrant Urges Presidential Debates""), wrote to me a letter in reply to my proposal, that if my proposal would come to pass,it would be fantastic and might not be very illuminating about the candidates. I am afraid that some still may agree with the views of Dr. Elkins. He may have been correct in his assesment of candidates in a debate.. What is your opinion as to the value of presidential campaign debates? oops -- I erred in my previous posting; correction: The first debate between R.N. and JFK was on September 26, 1960.
What a great interview! I heard another one two weeks ago on my favorite radio show, The Book Report. The show is syndicated in 10 cities, but I always catch it online or in the archives on their site www.bookreportradio.com . The show would complement this blog well, you should check it out.