American Solutions Urges Lincoln-Douglas Style Debates Between Senators Clinton and Obama
American Solutions
April 29, 2008
 
American Solutions for Winning the Future today applauds Senator Hillary Clinton for calling for Lincoln-Douglas style debates with Senator Barack Obama.
 
American Solutions first called for Lincoln-Douglas style debates in August 2007. In a letter to all the presidential candidates from both parties, American Solutions General Chairman Newt Gingrich and reporter Marvin Kalb proposed a series of ninety-minute dialogues to give voters a chance to see the candidates have an unfiltered dialogue. The following pledge was enclosed with the 2007 letter:
 
    "I pledge to the American people that if I receive my party's nomination for President of the United States, to participate in nine, ninety-minute dialogues in the nine weeks prior to the general election with my opponent.
 
In the Lincoln-Douglas style, I will agree to debate my opponent with only a time-keeper, and to insist upon no rules. I understand it will be just me and my solutions and my opponent with theirs."
 
A copy of the pledge and the letter is available at http://www.AmericanSolutions.com/LincolnDouglas.
 
This past weekend, Maggie Williams, Clinton's campaign manager, proposed a similar debate format of ninety-minutes with no moderator in a letter to David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager:
 
    "In the spirit of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, we make this proposal: Senator Clinton and Senator Obama will participate in a 90-minute debate in an open public forum. Just the two of them -- no questioners, no panelists, no video clips."
 
    "Senator Clinton deserves credit for proposing Lincoln-Douglas style debates, and we urge Senator Obama to accept her offer," said Dave Ryan, American Solutions' Executive Director. "The American people deserve a substantive dialogue about solutions -- not a political point scoring contest where media personalities ask 'gotcha' questions."
 
    "We also urge Senator John McCain to sign our debate pledge and agree to Lincoln-Douglas style debates in the general election with his opponent," Ryan said.
 
In February 2007, Newt Gingrich appeared with former New York Mayor Mario Cuomo at the historic Cooper Union as a model of leaders from opposing political parties holding a thoughtful and civilized conversation about the future of America. Cuomo and Gingrich were each given 30 minutes to speak, followed by 30 minutes of questions from moderator Tim Russert.
 
About American Solutions
 
American Solutions for Winning the Future is a new, non-partisan organization built around three goals: to defend America and our allies abroad and defeat our enemies, to strengthen and revitalize America's core values, and to move government into the 21st Century. Its General Chairman is former Speaker Newt Gingrich. For more information, visit http://www.AmericanSolutions.com.