Who won the debate?

Answer: Nobody

You say: No, that’ not true. The Polls identified a winner. The Social Network picked the front runners and the losers. Yes that’s true, but in reality… No they didn’t, at least not who would be the more intelligent and more loyal to the people’s needs.

Our next President should be clearly identified during the early debates with important information that’s pertinent to our decision.

Results of the debate clearly showed who had the most face time: the moderator came in 4^th. We didn’t tune in to watch them!

Results clearly showed who said the most words: Oh yea… we need a really fast talker who talks over others…. Very presidential.

Who outshouted who? Who had the better gotcha story? Who spent more time complaining about the other candidates, rather than put forth their own agenda? These are not the qualities to be the President.

What did we really learn?

Answer: We learned that the rules of the debate are garbage and the information we received to help us learn about the candidates was useless.

So lets change the rules of the debate, and provide the public with the facts.

1.    The clock

a.    Each person has their set time limit for different question segments. The clock is large, digital and in front of their face counting down their time. Once the clock hits ZERO then their microphone is automatically turned off. If they run out of time, then they have poor time management skills and should not be president.

2.    The introduction

a.    Each candidate has 2 minutes to introduce themselves, and state whatever they want about THEMSELVES. Any candidate who mentions the other party or the other candidates during THEIR OWN introduction gets their microphone turned off and they lose their turn. If they want to use their introduction to get elected but complain about the others, then obviously they have no plan of their own.

3.    The Facts

a.    During their introduction a list will appear on the screen showing the following:

1.    College, degrees completed, overall graduating grade, previous jobs, military service, arrest convictions.

2.    “Member of” list (includes board member, charities, organizations, hobby groups, past and present.

3.    Show the top 5 contributors to their campaign ranking them highest to lowest in amounts received.

4.    FIRST QUESTION TO EVERY CANDIDATE. (60 second clock)

a.    Your top 2 contributors to your campaign are X and Y. Tell us about your relationship with them. How many times have you met? What are their concerns and how will their priorities effect you.

5.    Yes or No segment, it’s that simple.

a.    When answering yes or no questions… The first word out of your mouth must be YES or NO. Each candidate will be given yes or no questions and have 15 seconds to follow up their answer. Any candidate that starts their answer with any of the following: “it depends, we’ll have to do a study, we are working on that issue now, it’s too early to tell, or any response other than a YES OR NO gets their microphone turned off. If you can’t follow the directions and don’t have good time management then you’re not smart enough to represent me.

6.    It’s about YOU, not them.

a.    Any candidate that says anything about their opponent or opposite party gets their microphone turned off and loses their turn in that question segment. This will prevent dropping bombs (true, false or half true) on the others who now have to waste our time with back and forth bickering. You are not two year olds fighting for a toy, you are running for President, act like it. Tell us about YOUR ideas, YOUR Accomplishments, YOUR plans, YOUR priorities. 

7.    Answers in a different language?

a.    Any answer in a foreign language must be immediately restated in the English language, verbatim. It’s your clock and if you can give your answer in 2 or three different languages in the time allotted, then good for you.

8.    The moderators.

a.    Some moderators tend to be biased in their questioning and include some questions to certain candidates and different ones to others. If the questions can’t be asked to all candidates then it’s a bad question. Your job is to make this an even playing field. Contrary to what you believe, we want to hear how each candidate answers the same question. That’s why we’re tuned in, to help us debate our own choice for the office, not for you to stir up controversy. You have 15 seconds to ask the question, not two minutes to set up a inquiry with historic references. Can’t create a 15 second question? Then you are in the wrong job.

9.    Predetermined favorites.

a.    Yes, some form of measurement is needed as to who is on the stage. Polls can determine which candidates have the biggest following and the right to be included. Setting questions with the same time allotment for every candidate allows every candidate to have their fair share of time. If they chose not to use their full time then that’s fine, but don’t focus strictly on the frontrunners just yet. Candidates who were not leading in the early polls have go on to become favorites or win the election.

10.The important topics

a.    Take the top 10 topics that polls have shown what the public is interested in. Should we create yet another Health Plan or set profit limits on the Hospitals and Pharmaceutical companies? What would you do to keep Social Security alive, or are you against it? Do you have a better plan for our borders and the control of immigration, what is it? Would you be in favor for free health plans for life for military and first responders? What is more important; more oil drilling or the preservation of our land? What will you do to fix the polluted water situation in Flint, Detroit, and Pittsburgh? Any answer that starts with “we will do a study” is not an answer. That means you have no plan and no ideas. We want a President who already has a plan, not one who will figure it out AFTER they are elected.

11.Who won?

a.    Who followed the rules?

b.    Who actually answered the question?

c.     Who pivoted in the middle of the question and ranted about anything not related to the original question?

d.    Who was most knowledgeable about the topics?

e.    Who spun their answers around in circles and missed the point.

f.     Who would you vote for?

1.    Let the viewers answer all of the above.

2.    Let the viewers pick their top 5 for each question.

3.    List every question in # 11 above and rank every candidate

4.    Show the results immediately after the debate.

The present bewildering debate format that is currently used can be used later on in the debates when the choices have been narrowed down to 2 or 3 candidates. 

But when we are presented with the early choices, and the overcrowded options, then give us a set of early debate rules that makes sense, gives us pertinent facts that allows the true candidate to shine so that we may be influenced by what we hear, not by some internet poll of who had the most speaking time, who used the most words, or who pulled up someone else’s past in a gotcha moment that can’t be verified live. 

Unfortunately, no candidate would ever agree to these rules. Why? Because it would expose them for who they really are and not the marketing persona they want you to believe.

The final price tag for the 2016 election was $6.5 billion for the presidential and congressional elections combined. So I suggest one more rule… For every political add dollar spent, 50% of that money will go to education. Maybe then the candidates will spend less time on Negative adds about their opponent.