Examines whether presidential candidates who use informational briefing books when preparing for debates actually improve their debating effectiveness. Finds that higher rates of factual evidence are associated with "losing" a debate. Argues that this association arises from three common mistakes candidates make when using evidence.…

Analyzes selected 1992 Year of the Woman political ads in the light of the 1980s theory and practice which suggests that women should present both their public and private worlds to voters. Finds that women used more appeals from the private world, in fragmented, polyphonic narratives. (SR)

Examines the influence of party affiliation on voter learning and perceptions of candidates' images and issue stances; the manner in which image-based cognitions interact with learning; and the way image and issue perceptions are interrelated in voters' minds. Indicates that image and issue perceptions interact and are often integrated via…

Discusses how studying the 1988 Presidential Debates reveals the importance of ethos in speaking and being elected to office. Asserts that the debates also offer an excellent opportunity to teach propaganda devices or fallacies. Provides two examples from the second Presidential Debate. (MM)

Explores the negative popular reaction to the 1988 Presidential Debates. Examines how these events function as ritualistic enactments of the <public trust>, thus providing a rhetorical legitimacy for the electoral process in a system dedicated to <popular sovereignty>. Suggests how the 1988 debates failed to satisfy that function. (MM)