Fwd: FCNL: 39 DAYS TO THE ELECTION

[Guest guest]

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FCNL: 39 DAYS TO THE ELECTION

 

39 DAYS TO ELECTION DAY

 

 

SEEKING REAL ISSUES AND REAL ANSWERS IN THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.

 

The Presidential and Vice Presidential debates will begin September 30 in

Florida with a debate focusing primarily on domestic policy issues (see schedule

below). While the campaigns fill the airwaves and newspapers with negative ads

and high-pitched rhetoric, many voters are looking for substantive answers to

questions about the Iraq war, social programs, and our nation’s future. The

debates give us an opportunity to hear the candidates address one another and

speak to issues that have been poorly addressed by the candidates and campaigns

so far.

 

 

 

 

 

• What will they do to reduce U.S. dependence on oil?

 

• What will they do to assure quality, affordable health care, education,

housing, and child care for the poor, working poor, and most vulnerable?

 

• How will they address the looming insolvency of the Medicare and Social

Security trust funds?

 

• How will they pay for these initiatives?

 

• What will they do to protect and restore civil liberties?

 

• What will they do to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global

warming?

 

 

 

ACT NOW: Organize a debate viewing party. Invite local reporters to cover your

responses to the debate. Local reporters are always looking for local angles on

national debates. Invite them to your debate watch event.

 

Make your event interesting for reporters:

 

• Make it an interfaith event. Show how seriously faith communities take this

election.

 

• Organize a youth or student event at a school or on a campus.

 

• Bring young and old together to demonstrate intergenerational unity.

 

• Include immigrants who are new citizens and new voters.

 

• Invite people who have been directly affected by issues at stake in this

election, such as civil liberties and the war in Iraq.

 

• Use a location that has local symbolic meaning, like a church hall for a

prominent congregation.

 

 

Distribute FCNL’s “Questions for Candidates” before the debate begins so

participants can discuss afterwards how the candidates addressed those issues.

Other FCNL tools to have on hand include our presidential candidate profiles and

Vote 2004 stickers and buttons.

 

http://www.fcnl.org/elections_2004.htm. You can also register to vote at this

website.

 

Stay tuned for more debate-related action tips next week: Letters to the editor

and radio talk shows.

 

 

 

Debate Schedule

 

First presidential debate:

 

Thursday, September, 30, 2004

 

University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

 

Broadcast on Fox

 

http://www.miami.edu/debate04/

 

 

 

Vice presidential debate:

 

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

 

Broadcast on ABC

 

http://www.case.edu/vpdebate/content/involved_watch.htm

 

 

 

Second presidential debate:

 

Friday, October 8, 2004

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO

 

Broadcast on NBC

 

http://debate.wustl.edu/

 

 

 

Third presidential debate:

 

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

 

Broadcasting network not yet announced.

 

http://www.asu.edu/debate/

 

 

Each debate will start at 9:00 p.m. EDT, last for 90 minutes, and take place

before a live audience. The first presidential debate will focus primarily on

domestic policy, and the third presidential debate will focus primarily on

foreign policy. The town meeting debate and the vice presidential debate will be

open to all topics.

 

 

For more information on format and candidate eligibility, visit the Commission

on Presidential Debates (CPD) web site at www.debates.org.

 

 

 

 

http://pets.care2.com/

 

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com

 

" It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument. " -- William G. McAdoo

" Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing

health care to all Americans is socialism. " -- anon