National Debate Series Launched to Promote Healthy Discussion of Issues. Political Podcast Hosts take matters into their own hands; Forums feature students, politicians & the public

BOSTON, Sept. 23 /-USNewswire/ -- One person really can change the world. Well, in this case, maybe it takes two. Tired of the outbursts at Congressional Town Hall meetings, and hateful demonstrations that continue to pit person against person and Democrat against Republican, the hosts of a popular weekly political show on the Internet have created the National Debate Series (http://nationaldebateseries.com) to promote a healthy discussion of issues. The forums will take place in major metropolitan areas and feature a series of debates among students, participation with the public through the Internet and social media, and live discussion with leading political figures. The first forum will be held in Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Boston University's Morse Auditorium.

"America stands at a crossroad in political and public will. On one hand, we have more information resources at our fingertips than any generation in human history. On the other hand, the political speech that resonates seems to be focused more on personal attacks and mis-information," said Glenn Gaudet, Co-Chair of the National Debate Series and Co-Host of PoliTalk. "We decided it was time to do something to foster well-informed political discourse that would combine the power of Social Media with the impact of a live event.

"Our Democracy has a rich tradition of open discussion, as was the case with the Lincoln-Douglass debates, but it also has a history of destructive outbursts that sometimes have tragic consequences," said Jeff Kimball, co-chair of the National Debate Series. "Political discourse is growing wildly out of control. In our own humble way, we are trying to put things back in perspective. Our country is at a crossroads, and there are a lot of important issues to discuss, but we can't talk nor can we listen if we're constantly screaming at each other. This is a huge risk for us - we are not a major corporation, we're not affiliated with any institutions, political parties or non-profits - we're just a few guys out to change the nature of political discussion - through what we do in our show, and now through these debates. We know this is going to be hard - it's so much easier to hurl insults and hyperbole, but we really believe in the power of an informed electorate."

Working with Brooks Lindsay, founder of Debatepedia, the first forum was pulled together at a time where "Town Hall Meetings" were dividing people and shutting down informed debate. A web site, http://nationaldebateseries.com, was created to promote and support the debates. The site provides the ability for people to register, share the event with others, connect via social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, and gain access to rich pro/con debate issues provided by Debatepedia.org. "When we looked into Debatepedia, we quickly realized that we have the same goal to better inform people, which helps them come to their own conclusions, rather than have a political opinion forced down their throats," said Glenn Gaudet.

Jeff Kimball spent nine years working in the U.S. Senate for Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Sen. George Mitchell. In addition to his political work, Jeff's 20-year career includes substantive work in all aspects of communication, with substantial work in TV and radio, as well as public relations on Wall Street and ghost-writing non-fiction. Jeff is the Co-Host of PoliTalk, a popular weekly political podcast that prides itself on informative, substantive and irreverent discussion of issues. It can be found on iTunes or at politalkpodcast.wordpress.com.

Glenn Gaudet is a Blogger, Speaker, Podcaster, Entrepreneur, Snowboarder and Social Media Evangelist who has spent 20 years in media and technology, working with every kind of organization from startups through billion dollar firms. Glenn is a regular speaker at media-oriented events on how to deliver both content and message. Glenn is the Co-Host of PoliTalk.

The National Debate Series is in the planning stages for events in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2010.

For more information about the National Debate Series, visit www.nationaldebateseries.com

SOURCE National Debate Series