At 9 00 a. M. , headed tonights debate, university of missouris Mitchell Mckinney talks about the history of president ial debates. Host good morning, it is the washington journal for september 29 and your look looking at video at case western reserve theersity, that the site of first president ial debate between President Trump and joe biden. Cspans coverage of that event starts at 8 00. We want to hear from you in this first hour on when it comes to president ial debates, do they matter . Weathering helping you decide or perhaps hearing about candidates positions on policy issues. Heres how to call to let us know. If you support President Trump, 2027488000, if you support joe biden, 2027488001. If you are undecided or support others, it is 2027488002. If you want to text us, do so at 2027488003. cspanwj. Itter pollingeet journal to on president ial debates asking the questions on if they matter. Some of what they found saying more than 70 of americans say the debates wont matter much to them, including 44 to say it will not matter at all to their choice. Most people say they have already made up their minds and even events like the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg have not sent many to say whether they will change their votes so far. A couple of Opinion Pieces leading up to the event, one is from Mitchell Mckinney, who is an expert on president ial debate and will join us later on this morning on the program. Argument thate the debates present no information, if that is true it makes a compelling case for eliminating that. These are not based on what debate viewers believe, but what political pundits think. Viewers want debate and the numbers prove it. Two of the three clinton trump matchups set alltime debate viewership records with the first drawing about 84 Million Viewers. The largest viewing audience in the history of the televised debates that began with jfk and Richard Nixon in 1960. Here is another viewpoint from the New York Times. Charles saying im not looking forward to the president making forward im not looking to the hype. We may learn things. And those things are worth learning. When it need a debate comes to policy and character. What will it tell us that we dont already know . The debate will show us how the candidates converse and clash and how they attack or recover. But none of this at this late stage should be a determinant. You can add your voice to the mix. The lines, 2027488000 for president support trump. If you support joe biden. 2027488002 if you are undecided. On the topic of the debates, vicki from new york joins us. How would you answer the question . I need to see the debate to be pointblank. I need to see the debate. I think it is necessary, i think they still matter. Opportunity for me as a viewer and a voter to be able to see exactly where their positions are, right out of their mouths. Whatever, i, no need to see the debate. I support biden simply because i can take this dog and pony show anymore. Our code you learn more by what a candidate says or what both people bring to the stage . A class of ideas. And what their solutions are for the many problems that we have nowadays. Problems,as those what is top of that list youd like to see the candidates address . Caller covid19. , although thece economy matters. Just pick a topic, but there are so many since the gentleman became president. Its really an embarrassment. But right now, we have a pandemic. Washington is simply not taking it seriously. Is in california, a supporter of President Trump. Good morning, go ahead. Im here. Happy to see consistency, always being transparent. I am so disgusted that whenever trump is available, interviewed by anybody, town halls, one station airs it. We all know what that one is. When you hear people say you only watch one channel. I say yeah because thats the only one available to us. They twist everything. Debate,excited for this i think it is going to be a breeze and i think its going to be so smooth for trump. He is an expert. He is grilled every day, challenged with tough questions all the time, he could not be better prepared and biden can even read a cue card. Its just silly. Themselves,bates what would you say as far as the debate itself . Caller it definitely matters. You have to be able to respond solidly your ground so that you can either make the executive decision and stick with it or admit you are not sure you are willing to listen to other people. I think there are flexibilities in their, but i also am very supportive of backbone. I dont want people who are pushovers. Host the New York Times reminds us the commission on president ial debates and Chris Wallace have released the topic, they will be the pandemic, the economy, the Supreme Court, the integrity of the election, the trump and biden records and the violence and art racial violence in cities. Led somer has democrats objections for its framing around violence in cities. You can see it on cspan. We will give you a chance to respond to it. In mississippi, supporter of joe biden next. Caller good morning. Me,debates matter to especially this debate. Chaos andd so much misinformation and lies. When they are on stage and you will hear them at their own question thathe this country needs to hear. Trump will probably lie as he is want to do, but it is up to the moderators told his feet to the fire. The lady performing said biden could complete a sentence. Watch moreyou should than one network. Host when it comes to the debate and you talk about the moderator, how much interaction do you want to see from a moderator . Caller i want him to be a fact checker. , i think one of them he needs to come back and ask the question again. We are fighting in the life of this democracy. We can go under four years with chaos and lies. He owes even know who money to and whether hes already compromised. Host from our facebook page, several of you posting this comes toaying when it the debates, one viewer says they do it for undecided or unmotivated voters. Many watch with their mindset already. It is good for those secondary sources. No, theylins saying arent really debates either. Voting has already started. John from facebook saying not as much when two of the candidates two other candidates are intentionally excluded. Thats just some of the Facebook Post things. From dallas, texas, supporter of President Trump. Hello. Caller yes. Good morning. I like the debates. I think it brings out a lot. The topics it doesnt sound like my questions are going to be answered. For instance, i want to know if trump is going to do away with the payroll tax, which would affect Social Security and i want to know what hes going to do about health care is another thing. Trump, ican vote for wont throw for anybody. I cant vote for biden and harris, i just cant. So the debates are important to me, but i dont think my questions will be answered. Thank you. Caller jamaica, new york, a supporter of joe biden. Host good morning. Caller good morning, thank you for taking my call. Isont think the debate going to make a big difference. Ive long made up my mind from the beginning because i could never support someone like a coleader like trump because thats what he is. The people who follow him are cults. , i going to watch the debate dont know what i will learn. I just want this whole election to be over because if trump is , a ind another four years america will be gone. Host if you already made up your mind, what do you get from the debates . Caller i will watch it to see. Im going to watch it to see because that is a debate. It,s torn between watching but i think im going to watch because i know what trump will do, i saw how he treated hillary on the debate stage. Itis a bully, so hes can come out with his bullying thatcs and it is just sad america the people in this country are so ignorant that they had the nerve to vote for someone like this crazy man. This man is totally out of his mind. Host when it comes to Chris Wallace, was the previous caller brought up, this is a quote attributed to him saying mr. Wallace wants to be as invisible as possible as a moderator. Goes on to say one of these two people will be president and my job is to be as invisible as possible. Im trying to get them to engage give them a sense of why i want to vote for one instead of the other. Jason inr from virginia, a supporter of President Trump. Caller thanks for having me. I fully support the president and i think the medias three or four years of gas lighting has not worked against the American People. His bases all has only expanded. If you look across the country for the primary, in most states where there was a primary for a republican, donald trump got more votes than all the democrats combined. For me that was a sign he was ahead. I think the democrats will do everything they can to try and factcheck him, but usually that means distorting the truth and its really rich coming from a party that has been lying to us about russian collusion, ukraine and many other things they just did not tell us about currently. I would love to know more about hunter biden when youve asked questions about what we like to know more about. Id like to hear Chris Wallace ask the tough questions. The biggest detriment has been the medias complicity. I kinda feel bad for any journalist or person who calls himself a journalist working at any of these networks that goes out and covers joe biden and doesnt ask him a tough question or even a neutrally tough question. When you watch the press gaggle, hes never asked a question, there always kind and gentle and they are always for him. Ive never heard him ask the tough questions in the past few weeks. Host thats jason from falls church. Talking about the president tonight, the New York Times reporting the president has undertaken a less formal debate prep. Bringing up the decks the story adding trump is already engaged in months of real on offense on bidens mental acuity that have lowered the bar. Carrie is next up from wisconsin. A supporter of joe biden, go ahead. Caller i dont know if ill watch the debates are not, but i have been following those in the campaigns and theres been so many things trump has said that is not true and hes been caught up on it but io a says fake news. Its proven with the facts and hes been lying all the time. Dont if you express those concerns why do you debate over whether you been a watch tonight or not . I might just watch a little bit. Did inlays the way he 2016 against Hillary Clinton, i wont watch them very much. He makes up too many stories. People are getting to where they dont trust anymore because hes been caught up in these lies. He says hes going to do this and that and hes can it do havehing and you can Health Insurance better, but hes been saying that the whole time, but the republicans were in control when he was first in office about two years and they didnt do nothing about it. Host how do you think mr. Biden will perform tonight . Well. i hope he does good. Its going to be kind of rough against President Trump because trump, you know how he treats people. Jennifer is up next in california, a supporter of President Trump. Caller good morning. Im not watching them because its a commercial tv event. If Chris Wallace wants to be invisible, we would have someone who is not a tv personality and the first place. Vice shouldnt be called president hes not the Vice President. Host when you say tv production, why does that discount whether you will watch it or not . Caller its commercial tv and entertainment, thats all it is, everybody already knows what these people have to say. Its not for informative value. Host so you dont learn anything or get any value . Caller no, ive seen them enough times. And biden before that. Theres nothing new to learn. We will have heard this stuff before every year they gang up on trump anyway. There is nothing new for us to learn here. Host how do you think he is going to perform . Caller trump has a very strong personality and hes great with people. It depends on how bidens before the event and other questions will go. No theres a bias against trump including Chris MatthewsChris Wallace. So whats the purpose of watching because is a commercial tv entertainment shes not a real journalist. Host that is jennifer in california. The matter of those who have not made a decision yet when it comes to debates and whether they add value. There was an online event sponsored by brookings institution. Who it featuring spoke about those who might be influenced by debates. Who are more susceptible to influence are those who are not tightly anchored to party. They are not as consistently voting for one party. To the extent they feel ambivalent about both candidates, they are not already anchored, the question is are they going to vote at all. Can i mobilize or demobilize and then secondly, how do i increase the likelihood they are focused consistenthat matter with what they want a president to do. If i can communicate those two things among the poor that are susceptible, i will create a likelihood they will vote in my favor. Most people are already decided outofthebox. You have those in there that are the solidt dont have history of voting a particular way. Is whosentially influence. They are more likely to be influenced by whats downstream of the debate. The means and the clips that circulate in their media spheres. Host you can watch more when you go to our website, thats the site to find information about the debates including tonight and how you can view it and all the information leading up to the debate when it comes to campaign 2020. Twitter says debates give us the opportunity to see each nominees demeanor. If they answer or deflect or become defensive, hopefully will hear actual plant policy. David says they matter and they should matter. We need a president who can think fast and exhibit good reasoning and argumentation skills. A president with a minute our standard is rockbottom. Juanita saying this one matters a bunch too many folks. This is why debates matter, adding a plan to stay with joe biden. Want, text usou at 2027488000. This is diane in michigan, go ahead. Caller i would be interested in hearing the debates become content of fact. Isthe way they could do this have a committee of experts, balanced committee and have a factcheck meter or a line going across the screen. One debate years back, the audience was being monitored and the wave was going up and down whether they agreed. I would like to hear experts do the same thing. So that the debates are just a them to just put out their sayings and rhetoric. Wouldy had questions that suss out information, that is where we get the content we are looking for from the undecided folks. If you just throw softballs at them, they will go back and forth. Ishink this line of thinking nine not informative and its getting very old. I think they get a bigger audience and they would get higher marks if they would give the listeners content. This is nothing but a show. ,hey need to have a factcheck a live factcheck as they go. Do you think most of the analysis of these types of events take place in the next day in the newspaper. Do you think theres call for much insight and how that squares if its true or not . Caller i think it has to happen in real time as the audience hears that. It doesnt necessarily follow all the they dont necessarily follow all the channels to get answers to that. I think the people if they are willing to give up their time in the audience to listen, i think its a good venue to inform the people and i think the focus putting on these debate and the monitor has an obligation to the audience to bring information forward. Not just the rhetoric we hear through the campaign. Host the commission on issidential debate responsible for formulating the event. You can go to their website for more information including the days of the debates, including tonight starting just after 9 00. On october the seventh, it will be the Vice President ial debate at the university of utah in salt lake city. The second president ial debate, a town hall format hosted by our own steves goal steve scully. The final debate will be at belmont university. Debates. Org is the website. Brenda in new jersey, a supporter of President Trump, hello. Caller good morning, america. I will be watching the debates tonight and i feel President Trump will get his message across. I really feel that he is good for america and i hope he continues with another four years. He has my vote. Ive always been a democrat and i want to see him debate and see whats going to go on. Host when you say he will get his message across, whats different about tonight versus a message at a rally or press conference or Something Like that. Caller he is debating on stage to get his message, to do things he plans on doing and when it comes to hearing what biden has tosay, its really going set, i hope, america straight to vote for President Trump. That they are so far left. We dont want that in america. We want President Trump. I want President Trump and im really looking forward to watching tonight on cspan and i thank you for listening. 8 00 is when our coverage starts. We will show you the debate on interrupted from start to finish. We will also give you a chance to respond on our phone lines. Look for that to happen tonight. Go to our website for more information. As the sun comes over there and arises. In texas, a supporter of joe biden. Two president ial debates matter . President ial debates matter . Caller yes they do. We dont need President Trump. I believe it can happen tonights hopefully america will see on the stage and see the contrast. Trump is not come out attacking like