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How Presidential Debates Became Unwatchable. A Nonpartisan Analysis (statecraft.beehiiv.com)

submitted 9 months ago by robotemoji@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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[-] AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social 53 points 9 months ago

Moderators are incompetent hacks with no political knowledge.

They should have a panel of the top general, most recent american economic Nobel laureate (or some equivalent), most recently retired surgeon general and attorneys general write the questions which are then presented by a moderator, then the author of each question responds to their answers and if required asks a single follow up question to each debator.

[-] Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world 49 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

More importantly, if the candidates are non-responsive they should shut off their fucking microphones.

[-] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

And when it isn't their turn shut off their mics. The only hot mics should be the moderators and the candidate being addressed by the moderators.

[-] robotemoji@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

yes plz :)

[-] robotemoji@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

I think this is a great point. All the moderators are media personalities without a background so they can't really claim expert knowledge on the issues. But the panel of experts I think is spot on to create this basis of expertise or fact. The single follow up used to be the norm. e.g. "candidates have 2 minute responses with a 30 second follow up" (strictly adhered to time)

[-] Uranium3006@kbin.social 8 points 9 months ago

also give them the authority to mute a candidate's mic for breaking rules, like talking over someone else when they don't have the floor. perhaps you can have a separate umpire type character. record what's going in the mic and release it 7 days later for transparency but don't let it get messy

[-] itsgroundhogdayagain@lemmy.ml 44 points 9 months ago

Its been at least 10 years since I've watched one. They dont even answer the questions that are asked.

[-] robotemoji@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago

Candidates go straight to personal attacks :/

[-] Theprogressivist@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago

Since they changed the rules where candidates are allowed to address each other its been a slow decline to Jerry Springer status.

[-] cabbage@piefed.social 7 points 9 months ago

Ten years... So that's essentially two debates:

Clinton v. Trump, 2016 Biden v. Trump, 2020

One might be tempted to believe the problem is more with one bumbling fascist fool and the decay of American democracy than with the format as such.

[-] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 30 points 9 months ago

If the debate were actually a debate, I would consider watching them.

The intelligence squared series is a great example of what a debate could be. I'm utterly disinterested in what talking heads have to say about who won or lost. I want an actual score at the end.

[-] robotemoji@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

this version of debates is actually reality tv

[-] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago

I mean, debates aren't just like, whatever we pretend them to be.

They are like, an actual, structured, formatted, moderated thing. There are definitions that are meaningful to these words.

For example: https://opentodebate.org/what-is-the-oxford-style-debate-format/

You poll the audience before the debate begins on the reaction to the thesis. You poll them afterwords. Whichever team changed more minds is the winner.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago

They’re not debates. They’re ridiculous slapfights that no one cares about.

[-] jordanlund@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

The debates stopped being controlled by an independent 3rd party and started being controlled by the DNC and RNC.

Simple.

The last real debate was in 1984.

[-] ember@lemmy.ca 4 points 9 months ago

At what point do we start blaming the people for selecting them to run?

[-] chakan2@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

If our votes mattered...yes...I'd blame the people.

[-] blazera@kbin.social 3 points 9 months ago

I doubt we'll have em much longer, doesnt seem like not participating hurts any candidates chances.

this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2024

133 points (96.5% liked)

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