February 20, 2020

9th Democratic Presidential Primary Debate: The Gloves Are Off!

NBC/MSNBC wanted and expected big ratings with the introduction of Bloomberg to the Democratic Presidential Primary stage.  So the moderators set the tone with a new […]
February 8, 2020

8th Democratic Debate: Best So Far Despite Burnout

The 8th Democratic Presidential Primary Debate was interesting…although not a whole lot of people were watching.  Perhaps it’s a case of political burnout from the State […]
February 5, 2020

8th Democratic Primary Debate Drama: More Spats, Snubs & Snipes

Aaahhh, the drama we have had this week: The literal tearing of the State of the Union speech, the interminable wait for the Iowa Caucus results, […]
November 21, 2019

Fifth Democratic Presidential Debate – A Shallow, Stale Ping Pong Match

This week’s impeachment hearings overshadowed tonight’s Democratic Presidential Debate.  So if you didn’t see the debate, you didn’t miss much.
October 9, 2019

Fourth Democratic Presidential Debate: More Controversial or a Repeat?

We are now into the fourth Democratic Presidential Debate with not only 10 candidates on stage, but TWELVE!
September 13, 2019

Round 3 – Democratic National Debate….was NOT (really) a Debate!

Nope.  It was a carefully scripted round of questions posed to the candidates (for the most part).
September 6, 2019

3rd Democratic Presidential Debate – Speed Dating or Showdown?

It’s the third round of Democratic Presidential Debates – with only NINE more to go before the Democratic National Convention (“nine” is not a typo).
September 3, 2019

What Exactly is a Presidential Debate Rules Analyst?

Since I have proclaimed myself as the 2019-20 Presidential Debate Rules Analyst, a few people have asked what that actually IS.
August 14, 2019

Joe Rogan to Moderate a Presidential Debate? Are You Kidding Me?

Trending now: Joe Rogan fans have created a petition asking that the UFC commentator be considered to moderate a 2020 presidential debate. The Change.org petition currently has over 137k signers. Boo hoo. […]
August 6, 2019

Try the Entertaining “Hat Debate Format” for a Panel Discussion

When your panelists have differing viewpoints, try this “hat debate format” inspired by Jordan Weissmann at The Slate:
July 26, 2019

Debate Moderator Survivor 2020 – Democratic Presidential Debate Edition!

It’s tribal council time for Survivor 2020 – Democratic Presidential Candidate Edition!  The DNC wants to winnow the slate of candidates – so don’t be surprised […]
May 20, 2019

Town Hall Moderator Chris Wallace’s Silence: Coward or Professional Moderator?

Back in March, the Democratic National Committee rejected Fox News from hosting any of the twelve scheduled debates in the run-up to the Democratic National Convention. […]
August 9, 2017

Turn a Panel Discussion into a Debate Using this Classic Debate Format

Everyone loves a good debate -especially if there is a strong sense of an even-handed process facilitated by a skilled moderator, there are opportunities for the […]
October 10, 2016

Second 2016 Presidential Debate: Who Moderates the Moderator?

I had high hopes for the second presidential debate for the 2016 election. The debate format was intended to be a “town hall” format:
August 13, 2015

Why The Republican Presidential Primary Wasn’t a Debate

It rankles me when something is advertised as one thing, and then it turns out to be something else. When a bank says, “free checking” only […]
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