# Has anyone ever debated David Duke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941 "2008-07-10T03:34:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/1 "2008-07-10T03:34:23Z")
David Duke makes all sorts of outlandish claims, such as that Vladimir Lenin was Jewish and that the Jews and the Rothschilds teamed up to orchestrate the Russian Revolution. Duke differs from most racist advocates in that he has a high level of education and a fairly legitimate political background. Has anyone ever publicly debated Duke? You’d think that if he was so confident that he was right, he would be happy to debate anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/2 "2008-07-10T03:36:27Z")
If you have the stomach to go over to a certain white supremacist board, I believe that you’ll be able to find a forum for that very purpose. Have at it, and let me know how it turns out. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/3 "2008-07-10T03:40:52Z")
David Duke actually has his own forum where he debates people? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/4 "2008-07-10T03:53:15Z")
No, but he is a member. I won’t name the forum, I’ll simply link you to the relevant portion of his [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke#Internet_commentary). People from the board in question came here once before, and I don’t imagine that anybody wants to see a repeat. Thus explains the vagueness of my response. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/5 "2008-07-10T05:20:07Z")
Duke debated Joe Hicks at Cal State, Northridge over affirmative action and Prop 209 in 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/6 "2008-07-10T10:29:13Z")
I think he debated Michael Medved on Israel and Medved did not best him, I don’t know if there is a transcript somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/7 "2008-07-10T12:33:36Z")
Yes, he has done plenty of debates. He came to Tulane to give a speech when I was there in the early 1990’'s. I don’t think he did an actual debate but he did have a question and answer session. He ran for Louisiana governor (and lost obviously) but was elected as a state legislator before that. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/8 "2008-07-10T13:40:06Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Yes, he has done plenty of debates. He came to Tulane to give a speech when I was there in the early 1990’s. I don’t think he did an actual debate but he did have a question and answer session. He ran for Louisiana governor (and lost obviously) but was elected as a state legislator before that. [/QUOTE] You were at Tulane at the same time I was at LSU. Duke also visited LSU a few times to speak and press flesh. He was invited by a few parties to debate at Free Speech Alley, but I’m sure he didn’t accept. I don’t recall … but I assume that Duke and Edwin Edwards debated during their 1991 gubernatorial race (how’s that for a selection of candidates? Edwards is currently in federal prison). I doubt, however, that Edwards broached any of the white-supremacist stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-debated-david-duke/455941/9 "2008-07-10T14:39:43Z")
This Slate article refers briefly to a 1999 confrontation between Duke and Tim Russert which apparently didn’t go well for Russert: > **[How to beat Tim Russert.](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2003/07/how-to-beat-tim-russert.html)** > > Those who would be president must first run the gantlet that is Tim Russert's Meet the Press, the highest-rated Sunday morning political show.... No further details given, though.