Expert Commentary: Do We Still Need Presidential Debates?
Joseph Shieber, associate professor of philosophy, participated in a scholarly debate for The Philadelphia Inquirer regarding the value of continuing to hold presidential debates.
Shieber provided the argument against, saying that debates entertain but don’t inform, while Brandon Koenig, assistant professor of government & public policy at Franklin & Marshall College provided the opposing viewpoint, saying the debates set agenda and help undecided voters.
“If they’re watching the debates at all, uninformed or undecided voters are almost certainly focused on the wrong signals,” Shieber wrote. “Appreciating who refrained from perspiring, who wasn’t sighing annoyingly, or who had the snappiest one-line rebuttal doesn’t actually tell voters anything about who would promote policies that best represent those voters’—and the country’s—interests.”