Topic: League Of Women Voters

An analysis of the Democratic primary debate revealed that the word "look" was used 64 times by candidates. Critics compared the WWE-style format to professional wrestling and suggested a return to the League of Women Voters' debate standards. There are calls for one-on-one, hour-long debates on C-SPAN to provide more substantive policy discussions.

In 1988, the League of Women Voters withdrew its sponsorship of presidential debates, accusing the Democratic and Republican campaigns of "hoodwinking the American public." The League refused to be an accessory to a "charade" where the two major parties dictated every detail of the format, including moderator comments and audience composition. This led to the dominance of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which critics argue excludes third-party candidates like Gary Johnson.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) for excluding third-party candidates. The hosts report that several sponsors, including Philips Electronics and the YWCA, have withdrawn support for the debates due to their bipartisan rather than nonpartisan nature. They recount the history of the League of Women Voters withdrawing sponsorship in 1988 after the major parties attempted to control the debate format.