Presidential debates good for voters says expert Presidential

“Presidential debates good for voters, says expert”

Presidential candidate debates rarely, if ever, change an election's outcome, but they tend to be good for voters, a specialist in political campaign communication told CNN Sunday. Debates do matter, said Bill Benoit. "One reason that they matter is that they are almost the only message that millions and millions of people see. In some states, they don't run any ads. The one thing that the most people see is the debates. They have that message in common, even though they read different newspapers and watch different television. ” There is plenty of evidence that people learn about the candidates' issue positions and form or change their views of candidates' character by watching debates, he said. "They can reinforce the attitudes of people who already favor a candidate, and that matters. "Candidates rarely win or lose from. . . the debates, but voters always win. "

In Other News n n What looked like a potential runaway for the Americans turned into a thriller as Europe, playing in memory of Seve Ballesteros, dominated the Sunday singles and won the 39 th Ryder Cup at Medinah, 14 ½-13 ½. The most prized possessions of Bonnie and Clyde, the notorious lovebird bandits killed nearly 80 years ago, were sold for a price that the couple could only imagine getting after one of their infamous bank jobs. One of the featured items of the auction was Bonnie Parker's personal Colt. 38 snub-nosed revolver, which sold for $264, 000. Clyde Barrow's Colt. 45 sold for $240, 000. Parker's revolver was found taped to her inner thigh and Barrow's on his waistband the day they were ambushed and fatally shot by a police posse in Louisiana in 1934. Barrow and Parker were known for kidnapping, auto theft, robbery, burglary and 13 murders, including the killings of two police officers.