WHAT A SORRY MESS!
Whoever organized the Democrat Party candidates’ debates knows absolutely nothing about debate. And “organized” is not the operative word. From the start, the “journalist” had a tiger by the tail and failed miserably ever after to achieve organization and fair and direct clashes on the issues. WHO ANOINTED THE JOURNALISTS AS THE BEST PEOPLE TO MODERATE A DEBATE???!!! A systematic rotation for fair and balanced participation was totally missing. Time control was absolutely missing. Questioning is a journalist’s device and even that was not well done. That’s all journalists know. Debate goes beyond questions to the proper statement of resolutions. RESOLUTIONS are debated! Resolved, that global warming is man-made. Resolved, that global warming can be alleviated by government policy. There are debate experts who could and should be called upon to ORGANIZE proper debates that provide direct clashes on the most important propositions that we face. It would have been better to have the candidates proceed the way a pick-up game of basketball proceeds, where the players referee themselves according to the rules of the game everyone knows. Then we would have seen the true character of the candidates emerge in discussion behavior, which requires respect for fellow participants, their rightful time and position. Only once did I hear a candidate take exception to the journalist’s rule; they should have protested that there are no “yes” or “no” answers to difficult questions, and insisting on such simple answers educates no one. Foolish journalistic tactics! The participants should have dominated the “journalist”, whose voice gave an interstellar static as he sputtered in the background to control the time. The candidates should have stepped up to their responsibility for the process. The next president of the United States may have been standing on that stage and should have been more presidential, the chief presiding officer of our government. What do journalists know about presiding? As moderators they are not very good at all.
