Do we even NEED these “debates” anymore? This was for a time when people didn’t have access to their candidates’ opinions, and now we have the mighty, mighty internet, and can practically see them from all sides. I just see it as pointless when the lib media sets the rules and tone, then they spin it and pick it apart.
Yes, we still need them. Not because they help with anything policy-related but because we get to see how well the candidates present themselves. Especially under fire. That sort of thing can swing elections.
In 1980 it was the single, and late, debate with Carter that pushed Reagan over the top and into the White House. I’m still convinced that George W Bush won in 2000 because Al Gore kept sighing and trying to physically intimidate Bush by encroaching on his space. Gore looked like an a****le, and Bush drove that home by throwing that stare and nod back at Gore.