Presidential Debate Moderators: Why We're Better Off Without Them

Let'south Kill All the Moderators

The first presidential debate underscored why we don't need moderators. Peradventure no referee and no rules will finally get usa some substance?

October. 07, 2016

During the outset presidential debate, while Hillary was trying to appear like an everyday American by twice referencing her father's drape business organization and The Donald was sniffing his style through some more Rosie O'Donnell insults, the humorist Andy Borowitz posted an uproarious fake news account on newyorker.com , headlined "CNN Launches Manhunt Later on Lester Holt Vanishes From Argue."

Borowitz'due south satirical critique all the same, it turns out that Holt'due south disappearance was kind of a skillful thing. The more the moderator receded, the more than Trump revealed himself to be the bullying embodiment of white male privilege and the more Hillary morphed into Tracy Film, Reese Witherspoon's uber-ambitious pupil body president candidate in the 1999 film, Election .

Neither candidate advanced a single interesting or surprising idea, of course; in the few instances where the chat accidentally veered into matters of substance, nosotros got predictably timeworn talking points most raising the minimum wage and cutting taxes. But at least Holt gave the candidates the space to unwittingly reveal some things nearly themselves. It reinforced for me a call I made during last twelvemonth'south mayoral election : Permit's ditch argue moderators. Why non consider us—the citizens—the jury, and ask our candidates to stand before us and make a case in a kind of closing argument, rebutting one another forth the style?

At our no moderator council debate terminal spring, the candidates were asked no questions and given no rules. Left to their own devices, they held a civil, respectful dialogue. Turns out, it was a format that exposes the unprepared and reveals who is—and who is non—constitutionally committed to the tradition of public give and take.

That'southward what Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas did in the summer and fall of 1858, going at it mano-a-mano in vii unlike cities. There were no accident-dried anchors trying to trip them upwardly. Instead, one candidate would speak for an hour; the other would rebut for 90 minutes, and and then the first speaker would get the last word for 30 minutes. Yes, at that place were longwinded tangents and vile proper noun-calling. But it was likewise politics every bit real argument—not just spectacle.

We actually experimented with such a format during last year'due south election. Along with Committee of lxx, The Citizen hosted a "no moderator, no rules" contend among the candidates competing for City Council's minority party seats. Ii major candidates, incumbent David Oh and Al Taubenberger, perhaps intimidated by the freewheeling format, declined to participate. A third, incumbent Dennis O'Brien, came, but refused to requite upwards the mic, was heckled past the audience, wouldn't respond to questions from the other candidates, and then walked off the stage—twice .

But one time O'Brien, who eventually lost his seat on election mean solar day, was gone from the debate, something happened. The remaining candidates—Republican Terry Tracy; Socialist John Staggs; Contained Andrew Stober; and Green Political party candidate Kristin Combs—conducted a real, sober contend about the issues facing the city.

Other than concluding with a few questions from the audience, the candidates were asked no questions and given no rules. Left to their own devices, they held a civil, respectful dialogue. Turns out, it was a format that exposes the unprepared and reveals who is—and who is not—constitutionally committed to the tradition of public give and take. It was telling that those with the longest political resumes and the highest likelihood of winning were the ones near agape of being exposed.

Holt'southward disappearance was kind of a practiced affair. The more than the moderator receded, the more than Trump revealed himself to be the bullying embodiment of white male person privilege and the more than Hillary morphed into Tracy Picture, Reese Witherspoon's uber-aggressive student body president candidate in the 1999 film, Election .

I'thou ashamed to say I lookout man a lot of C-SPAN, which often broadcasts debates from the floor of the Great britain's House of  Commons. (Check out this ane from last January, on whether to ban Donald Trump—"this ridiculous character," i member says—from entering the country.) In that location'south no moderator; just smart and entertaining exact jiu jitsu.

That's one precedent. Some other comes from our own recent history, and was touched on by Jill Lepore in her New Yorker story last month on our history of political debating and the erosion over fourth dimension of authentic political argument. Lepore writes:

"In 1992, the night before the New York Democratic primary, Phil Donahue hosted Autonomous candidates Pecker Clinton and Jerry Brown in a debate shown live on C-Span. 'I am pleased to present Governor Brown, and Governor Clinton,' Donahue said. Then he saturday back in his chair and never uttered another word. Clinton and Dark-brown talked to each other for twoscore-five minutes, unmoderated, and uninterrupted. 'It was as good a chat as I have always seen,' Paul Begala told me, looking back."

Dominicus night, Clinton and Trump will foursquare off once more, this time in a town hall format, with Anderson Cooper moderating. How cool would information technology be if, later hearing Cooper welcome the candidates, we don't hear from him again?

Header photo by Bill B via Flickr

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/lets-kill-presidential-debate-moderators/

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