There was some progress last night in the evolution of so-called presidential debates. CNN left out the journalists and instead let the public ask questions via homemade videos, provoking less scripted and more relevant answers.
But to get to a world where candidates genuinely debate each other we need one more step: no distracting questioners at all. You know, like high school and college debates where only the contestants challenge each other.
Although it was entertaining to see average Americans performing on video like in the early rounds of the popular TV show, “American Idol,” CNN’s new format still kept to a structure that does not invite robust give-and-take between the candidates. But at least it was not like the unseemly spectacle of the old formula — with journalists competing for air time as if they too were running for something.
The real revolution would be in trying a formula that features candidates posing questions and follow-ups to each other. Then we could finally and truthfully call them debates.
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