[FewsOrange]

The three presidential debates and the vice presidential debate in the 2008 cycle had a “no applause” rule.

[cripplecreek]

Seems to me that some of the previous debates had similar rules in place in various forms.

Crying that it infringes on free speech rights debases the constitution. After all, is it a free speech infringement to expect quiet in a movie theatre?

[Jacquerie]

Who’s Brian Williams? Never heard of him.

[evad]

This has nothing to do with freedom of speech.
It has everything to do with freedom of choice.

[PalmettoMason]

By "freedom of speech", I assume you are referring to the 1st Amendment. If I remember correctly, it says "CONGRESS shall make no law..."

Has someone passed a bill I don't know about regarding applause during Presidential Debates?

This is about as silly as the folks who claim that FR violates their freedom of speech because they enforce their own standards on their private property.

[DManA]

What’re they gonna do if the audience cheers? Pull the plug and put on an old Cheers rerun?

[sometime lurker]

Boycott Brian Williams by all means, but don’t confuse this with a freedom of speech issue. Nor should you confuse why Ronald Reagan was right, but Newt Gingrich is not about this particular matter.

Ronald Reagan’s campaign funded the event at which he made that statement, so he was perfectly correct and came up with a great line. Speaker Gingrich did not, to my knowledge, pay for the NBC debate. (If I’m wrong, please correct me!).

So Presidential candidate Reagan was asserting his right to control his property, while Newt was trying to assert the right to control someone else’s property. I understand why, but it’s still a mistake. I hope he rethinks this line of complaint. I would say “You don’t like the debate format? Don’t participate, or do what President Reagan did - fund your own debate.”

[COUNTrecount]

I decree that applause during tonight’s State of the Union speech by Barry be banned.

[fish hawk]

I dont get it. If a bunch of us were there and we all stood up and clapped for Newt, what the hell are they going to do, shoot us??? How in the hell did and audience let them get away with this. I everyone did it they are not about to kick every one out of the building.

[Hattie]

If they want to debate, then debate without sound effects. If they want a cheering audience then go on the campaign trail.

[Interesting Times]

The real problem isn’t that NBC ordered the crowd not to applaud; it’s that the crowd complied.

[CAluvdubya]

I think it’s stupid. I don’t get why the audience went for it. The debates are for their (our) benefit.

[jonrick46]

I would start making fake coughing sounds when I detected BS. Can you imagine if the entire audience broke out coughing? That would generate a real impact. You can’t be held responsible if you need to cough; especially if a candidate starts feeding you BS.

[Tex-Con-Man]

Applause at a presidential debate disallowed by a network twit isn't a violation of free speech.

Next time write something less stupid.