Which of the four debate formats (so far) did you prefer?

[Wonk]

This poll is about the *format* for all of the candidates involved, not which of the debates you think your personal favorite candidate did better at than the other candidates.

(feel free to correct me if I got any of those details wrong and I'll fix it)

[kyrasdad]

1. Rock the Vote...

Rocked!

[tedoll78]

2. Anderson Cooper..

is the best debate moderator I've seen all year. Not that that means much.

[gasperc]

3. maybe cause I'm in my thirties, rock the vote was the best

I liked the easy free flow feel of it. Even when it was punchy with Dean, Sharpton and Edwards I didn't feel uncomfortable for any of them. That stupid baseball question to Kerry irked me but I like how he responded it and even got to throw the Florida shit into it.

[glarius]

5. I'm older than you but I liked tonite's debate best too....more energy! n

[kentuck]

6. It would have been even better if they increased the time to answer...

by another 30 seconds or a minute. But I think it was the best also.

[RichM]

4. The format is a serious problem every time. While some debates were

worse than others (the Woodruff-Greenfield disaster easily the worst), every one of them had similar problems. There is always a sense of "hurry up, hurry up" with the goddamn buzzer -- which is in basic conflict with the idea that the whole purpose is to hear how these people really think.

I understand that with 9 people, there are logistical problems. Still, my sense is that no thought at all has gone into creating a thoughtful environment where issues can be genuinely explored. Often, the goddamn buzzer sounds EXACTLY at the moment when a given candidate is just reaching areas of real substance.

What we are getting is a typical product of American culture: shallow, limited, all sound-bites; virtually guaranteed to remain at the surface of all issues.

[xJlM]

7. What about Fox's LaRouche screaming match?

They seemed to primarily interrupt Lieberman, so they were worth a laugh.

Seriously, though, tonight was easily the best.

[burr]

8. I don't care who does the moderating!!!

The format is what makes the difference! When we have 9 candidates in one race, they will have 7-13 minutes on average to speak each, in a 90 minute format. This is why each debate must be restricted to a single topic each. I am interested in what topics you think the debates should focus on. The topics I would have debates on are healthcare reform, the state of democracy and human rights, deregulation and the economy, energy policy and the environment, the National Debt and our Social Security System,..finally 9/11 and its impact on foreign policy.

Breaking these down into single issue debates will force the candidates to zero in on the specifics, and avoid giving the same old soundbites. It will also keep the debates from turning into a mudfest...and allow viewers to actually learn something new about each candidate as they watch another debate. Debates should be something for voters to look foward to, not something which we must tolerate again and again!!!

What single issue do you think there should be a 90 minute debate on?