I’ve seen parts of all the recent presidential and vice-presidential debates, and what I’ve been struck with is the lack of respect for the rules of debate. The one that irritates me most is when the speaker’s time is up and he continues to talk, forcing the moderator to attempt to stop his comments without appearing to be rude.
I have a simple suggestion to solve this.
I notice each nominee has a microphone which is probably connected to the audio reception in the room as well as to the various networks at large. So why couldn’t someone simply turn off the microphone in question when the speaker’s time is up? It would certainly change the moderator’s role as referee. As it should.
Moving on, maybe we should shut off each nominee’s mic when he isn’t speaking. This would reduce the number of interruptions, snide comments, and guffaws coming from the person who doesn’t have the floor. That person could still employ grimaces, eye rolls, etc.; but at least they would be silent.
Does anybody out there agree? If so, write your local affiliate of our national news channels and suggest this. We could get a lot done in four years if we start now.
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