DES MOINES -- Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said journalists should change the formats for presidential debates. He said instead of sticking 10 candidates on one stage to discuss a variety of issues, a media organization should put together a format the provides multiple opportunities for fewer candidates to share the stage and delve deeper into issues.
"Individuals would get more time this way," Vilsack said.
The former Governor also said that instead of covering every issue in each debate, candidates should agree to a series of issue debates. "One debate on Iraq, one debate on healthcare, one on taxes," Vilsack suggested.
"The problem is every debate we spend the first hour on Iraq, because the media says that's the issue. And I would argue there is less disagreement about Iraq than other issues, " Vilsack said.
Political strategist Matt Dowd agreed with Vilsack that the debate format is broken.
"When you put 8 Republicans on the stage together, it makes the media focus even more on only the top three," Dowd said.
1 comment:
I agree broadly with Vilsack and Dowd that the debates are broken. My belief is this: how long can you continue to allow Tommy Thompson, Tancredo, Gilmore, Brownback, Ron Paul, and even Mike Huckabee (as much as I like him) in the debates when these candidates pull less than 3% in the polls, sometime not even that high.
I think 90 minutes spread among 5 candidates is much better than 90 spread among 10. It's a provocative idea but if one hasn't "broken through" after three nationally televised debates and time spent "on the ground" in these early states, when are they going to?
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