Canisius College Selected to Host Proposed Presidential Debate Sponsored by the Citizens' Debate Commission

5/24/2004

From: Debra S. Park of Canisius College, 716-888-2793; Chris Shaw of Open Debates, 202-628-9195

WASHINGTON, May 24 -- Today, the Citizens' Debate Commission announced that Canisius College has been selected as one of six sites to host a proposed 2004 general election presidential debate on Sunday, October 3.

Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., president of Canisius College, said, "Canisius and Buffalo are ideal sites for a presidential debate and we are pleased to partner with Open Debates to make the Montante Cultural Center available for this historic opportunity. Canisius has a rich tradition of sponsoring prominent national speakers and promoting open discussions of timely issues. A presidential debate would be a tremendous learning experience for our college, our students and our community."

Fr. Cooke added, "Western New York, like most of the industrial Northeast, has suffered through the economic downturn of the past several years and the citizens of Western New York would welcome a public forum with the presidential candidates to address what can be done to spur job creation and economic development in our struggling Northeast cities."

"We are pleased that Canisius College will be serving as a site for a proposed presidential debate that aspires to truly maximize voter education," stated George Farah, author of "No Debate" and executive director of Open Debates, which helped form the Citizens' Debate Commission.

The nonpartisan Citizens' Debate Commission is comprised of 17 national civic leaders from the left, center, and right of the political spectrum. It has an Advisory Board consisting of over 50 civic organizations that broadly reflect the composition of the electorate. Operating with full transparency, the Citizens' Debate Commission will reverse declining debate viewership by sponsoring presidential debates that address pressing national issues, feature innovative formats, and include candidates that the American people want to see.

The Citizens' Debate Commission is: John B. Anderson, former U.S. Congressman and chair of the Center for Voting and Democracy; Angela "Bay" Buchanan, president of The American Cause; Veronica De La Garza, executive director of the Youth Vote Coalition; Norman Dean, executive director of Friends of the Earth; George Farah; Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch; Tom Gerety, executive director of the Brennan Center for Justice; Jehmu Greene, executive director of Rock the Vote; Ambassador Alan Keyes; Jeff Milchen, founder of ReclaimDemocracy.org; Larry Noble, former General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission; Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; Chellie Pingree, president of Common Cause; Randall Robinson, author and founder of TransAfrica; Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform; Mark Weisbrot, co- director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research; Paul Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation.