I’ve always disliked the format of the debates but after the train-wreck debate tonight in South Carolina, it seems like the perfect time to post this. The debates are terrible when the moderators don’t take control, when the networks treat the debates like a reality TV show, when they ask bad questions or don’t follow up, and they never seem to cover all of the important issues.
To fix these debates there are 4 easy steps to take:
- Take control away from the DNC & the networks. Instead do what they used to and have different interests groups (like the League of Women’s Voters) host the debates
- Have Debates focused on specific topics. Have a climate debate, a healthcare debate, a foreign policy debate, an education debate, a labor debate, a debate on poverty, etc.
- Have those debates hosted by experts. Let people who have an actual depth of knowledge about each subject ask the questions and push-back on the candidates.
- Have a “mute” button. If a candidate goes too far over the time limit you mute them. They try to yell and get time, mute them. Multiple people try talking over each other, mute them all.
I think these easy changes would make these debates infinitely better. Instead of terrible moderators asking bad questions or the whole thing becoming a glorified food fight….have experts host issue-oriented debates. Take the party and the networks out of the equation. That way instead of focusing on talking points or getting a good 15/30 second clip you can blast all over the web, candidates will be forced to talk in-depth about their ideas and plans.
District of Clowns 