Americans are preparing for the first of three debates involving the candidates for president. The first debate takes place on September 26. It will be held at Hofstra University in the city of Hempstead, New York. The first debate will include the candidates of the two main parties. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the nominee of the Democratic Party. The Republican candidate is businessman Donald Trump. The other parties will not be represented at the first debate. The Libertarian Party, for example, has nominated former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson as its presidential candidate. The Green Party chose Jill Stein, who also served as its candidate in the 2012 elections. The moderator of the first debate will be television news anchor Lester Holt. The debate will be 90 minutes long. The three topics for debate will be America’s direction, achieving prosperity and securing America. Each topic will be debated for close to 30 minutes. Holt will begin each topic with a question, and each candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will also have the opportunity to respond to each other. Many think the first debate could make history by drawing the largest audience ever to watch an American political event. History of presidential debates American presidential debates and the media have a 56-year history. In 1960, Republican Vice President Richard Nixon debated Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy. The subject of the debate was domestic policy. The issues they discussed included education, health care, farming, the economy, labor and the Cold War. But what the 1960 debates showed was how television was changing politics. In the first debate, radio listeners said Nixon won. Those who watched on television said Kennedy was the better debater. The difference in the audience’s perceptions had to do with the candidates’ appearances. Kennedy looked tanned and youthful on television. Nixon wore a gray suit that blended into the television studio background. Nixon – who was recovering from an illness -- also looked pale and thin. A few months later, Kennedy won a narrow victory in the election. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter debated challenger Ronald Reagan. Carter led in the political polls before the debate. But Reagan was a former actor and comfortable in front of a studio camera. Reagan’s relaxed performance during the debate helped secure him an easy victory. The 1992 debates featured three candidates. President George H.W. Bush faced challengers Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. During their conversation, Bush checked his watch. Some thought Bush’s glance at his watch as a sign he was bored with the debate. Bill Clinton went on to win that election. I’m Bruce Albe Esha Sarai and Jim Malone this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story Democratic Party – n. one of the two major political parties in the United States Republican – n. a member of the Republican party of the U.S. Libertarian Party – n. a political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties Green Party – n. a political party in the United States that promotes environmental issues and non-violence moderator – n. someone who leads a discussion in a group and tells each person when to speak news anchor – n. a person who presents news during a news program on television or on the radio Cold War – n. the nonviolent conflict between the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. after 1945 perception – n. the way you think about or understand someone or something tanned – adj. having skin that has been made darker by the sun bored – v. to make someone annoyed by being uninteresting
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/2cx8BI4
via IFTTT
الاشتراك في:
تعليقات الرسالة (Atom)
المشاركات الشائعة
-
As President of the United States, Donald Trump shakes a lot of hands. But look out. If you shake Trump’s hand, you might get pulled off y...
-
Even in the world of medicine, what is old is new again. Thousands of years ago, Egyptians used it to sterilize drinking water. Ancient Roma...
-
00:00:02 OPRAH WINFREY: "Hattie Mae, this child is gifted," and I heard that enough that I started to believe it. 00:00:08 ...
-
The first-ever direct China-to-Britain freight train arrived in London last week. It was the latest evidence of China’s efforts to redevel...
-
North Korea has increased efforts in recent years to prevent outside information from entering the country. But international activists say ...
-
from Voice of America https://ift.tt/2JX5szY via IFTTT
-
The government of Zimbabwe is denying a report that President Robert Mugabe has suffered a heart attack. Presidential spokesman George Chara...
-
South Korea says a high-ranking North Korean military officer defected to South Korea last year. South Korea’s defense and unification minis...
-
Zimbabwe wants small business to be able to get credit to start or grow a business. If the country’s Parliament approves a bill proposed l...
-
Welcome to Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. On this program we explore the origin and history of American expressions and...
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق