Last night's offering by MSNBC of what was billed as a "Democratic Debate" left me feeling a bit as though i'd been misled. Was this a debate? In what sense could it be considered a debate? True, there were a few moments when a pair of participants squared off and confronted each other... but even that activity was clearly outside of the scope of what the NBC's rulemakers had in mind. It was clear from the outset that the format had been created to avoid such confrontation. It was, to disagree with Joe Biden, a gameshow. It reminded me of Jeopardy played by 8 very well dressed and well rehearsed participants. They each stood at their podia and waited patiently for their questions, hoping to score the most points with their answers. It was an interesting game show, certainly a long one... but was it useful in selecting a Democratic Nominee?
I don't think so....
If NBC is going to go with a gameshow format... at least it could make it a more compelling one. They could actually commit to the concept fully and give the contestants buzzers and award scores. They could mix it up a bit more... have rapid fire questions, longer essay questions, true/false. In a format like that the voting public would be presented with the opportunity to see, at least, how learned the opponants are. Heck, if you just let them follow the rules of Jeopardy we'd learn how well they know their facts in a number of areas as well as how competitive they are. I'd venture to say that I know more about the intelligence and capabilities of the three contestants on a typical Jeopardy panel after watching a half hour show than I learned about these presidential hopefuls last night. So... my advice is... if you feel the need to format the debate into a game show format... don't pussyfoot around. jump in with both feet. it will increase viewership and be more effective in providing voters with real, useable, actionable intelligence on their candidates.
or, you could actually go with debates.
Personally, I don't know how you have a debate between 8 people. I'm not sure you can. When all of my family members are debating politics at my house it gets pretty lively and some good points are made... but it would be pretty hard for anyone watching on TV to get much out of it. It would also drive the audio engineers crazy because, y'know, it gets really loud. Then again, "The McLaughlin Group" works pretty well with four debaters and a moderator.
I guess what i'd like to see is a format that allows the candidates to roll up their sleeves and debate! I'd like to see them take their opponents positions apart, point by point, and ask for explanation of those positions. I'd like to see flaws of logic exposed. I'd like to see the candidates actually stop and think for a moment and consider their responses. Maybe, god forbid, we might actually see someone admit their take on an issue might need further consideration.
I can envision a number of formats but the one I'd like to see is this. I'd like to see a host introduce two candidates in a closed studio, No audience to seek applause from. I'd like to see them sitting at a table ala Charlie Rose. With no moderator, I'd like to see them debate the issues as they see fit. Let them just have a conversation about whatever comes up. If all eight candidates participated there would be 64 one hour episodes. Some would be huge clashes of egos. Some would be cordial and light hearted. Some would be intellectually boring. Some would be breathtaking and riviting. All would be fascinating.
It would be better than American Idol.