Former Washington Governor Dan Evans proposes holding Lincoln-Douglas debates, abbreviated for the short attention span of moderns. I have advocated something similar in the past.
Crucial to the success of real debates is having the two presidential opponents speakdirectly and without the filtering influence of the media. Reporters asked to participate correctly assume that this is their personal big chance to make a name for themselves, usually with a "gotcha" question of some sort. But their career interests as journalists and the public's interest in knowing what the candidates think--about themselves, their priorities, and their opponents--are likely to be very different.
Let's let the candidates speak directly to the people and to each other, and at enough length that we can get past the sound bites.
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