A short history of arguing about politics

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Is Monday's presidential debate at Hofstra University really a debate at all? Jill Lepore is a professor of history at Harvard and a staff writer for the New Yorker. She's written a fascinating piece about the ins-and-outs of modern presidential debates since 1960 and raises provocative questions about whether we're really getting as much out of them as we could.


Presidential candidates Sen. John Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon pose
following their debate at a Chicago television studio, September 26, 1960.
Photo: AP Wirephoto

Credits

Guest:

  • Jill Lepore - professor of history at Harvard University, staff writer at the New Yorker, and host of the podcasts “The Last Archive” and “Elon Musk: The Evening Rocket.”

Host:

Todd Purdum