Presidential Debate Formats Are Stale: Let Candidates Fight Instead!

We need to blow up the traditional presidential-debate formats — not because there was too much mayhem in last night’s contest, but because the mayhem wasn’t constructive enough.

The Commission on Presidential Debates is now apparently considering allowing moderators to cut candidates’ mics mid-debate. As with most issues pertaining to the debates, the Commission has it backward: We don’t need more rules, we need more open-ended discussion.

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David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner.

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We need to blow up the traditional presidential-debate formats — not because there was too much mayhem in last night’s contest, but because the mayhem wasn’t constructive enough.

The Commission on Presidential Debates is now apparently considering allowing moderators to cut candidates’ mics mid-debate. As with most issues pertaining to the debates, the Commission has it backward: We don’t need more rules, we need more open-ended discussion.