This is the Mark Simone Show.

710 W.O.R.

Well, Doris Kearns Goodwin, probably our greatest presidential historian.

We haven't talked to her in a while, but she's written so many great books.

The Abraham Lincoln book is a TV series that you don't want to miss.

It's this weekend on the History Channel.

It's Sunday night monday night

and tuesday night at 8 p.m it's going to be uh just the most fascinating show abraham lincoln

this weekend on the history channel doris kerns goodwin how are you i'm doing good thank you for

having me talk about my guy ab Abraham Lincoln. He's the best.

Hey, let me ask you one thing. I'm watching the presidential debates nowadays. They're terrible.

You know, everything is give me a 30-second answer. Give me a one-word answer. Explain the debates Lincoln had to win. Those Lincoln-Douglas debates. Now, wasn't that a much better way to learn about somebody?

Oh, my God. I mean, the debates between Lincoln and Douglas would go on for hours.

I mean, the first person got to speak for an hour and a half, and then there'd be a rebuttal for an hour and a quarter, and then the next one could come back, and then the next one could come back.

10,000 people would come and listen to debates which had humor in them, had philosophy

in them, had real debating skills in them.

And it was like a sporting event.

It was the greatest sporting event that could have at the time.

And how different that is from the canned kind of debates that we have today.

I mean, they really talked

about the Constitution, what should be done about popular sovereignty, and both, and I love the way

they could deal with one another. I mean, there's moments when Lincoln is just able to capture

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