If you watched the GOP debate Monday night between the eight remaining prospective candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, you may have found yourself shaking your head in disgust or nodding it in agreement with at least one candidate.
But if you’re like me, you may have asked yourself, “What the hell is really going on here?”
Since Sept. 26, 1960, when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy squared off in Chicago, televised presidential debates have been an integral part of American electoral politics.
The number of televised debates has steadily expanded and now include a debate between vice presidential candidates and prospective candidates for each major party, like the aforementioned Republican debate.
Due to the nature of television, these debates must take place on a fixed time structure. The debates rarely last longer than 90 minutes, and candidates are usually given between 30 seconds and one minute to answer a question. Sometimes, time is allotted for responses by the other candidates.
As I see it, this means debates raise more questions than answered.
When Rick Perry referred to Social Security as a