ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

Learn by Tuning Out Unsolicited Comments

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Wednesday, September 30, 2020
ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
9/30/2020

Hello, Everyone!

Not that it matters much, but just submitted the following as a letter to the editor 
of our local paper - The Laramie Boomerang. As usual, I do not know if they
will feature it, but it never hurts to try. Right?

As I offer in my letter to the editor, I did not learn anything new from last night's debate,
but I did enjoy it - perhaps by following my own suggestion for future debates.
I suggest tuning out any unsolicited remarks by a candidate and listen only to
remarks requested by a moderator. That makes listening to one who is willing to
conduct himself within expected norms worth while.

At first, I was angered by President Trump for interrupting Joe Biden when
Joe was trying to reply to a request by the moderator, Mike Wallace, of Fox News;
but by half time, I decided I should "take charge" myself and tune out
the interruptions - as if the one interrupting was not there at all.

Hey, it works for me. Maybe it will work for others too.

Be in touch!

Love You All!

Gently,

Francis William Bessler
and wife, Nancy Shaw

SUBJECT:ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES



9/30/2020: Watched the Presidential Debate last night -

and did not learn anything new from the candidates;

however, I did learn how not to conduct the debates in the future. President Trump constantly interrupted Joe Biden as Joe was trying to answer a moderator's questions. I hope we will learn from that to allow only one mike in the future and require each candidate to go to a podium and use that mike. That would not suppress one candidate from trying to interrupt the other, but it would make it easier

for a given candidate to say his piece. If the other wants to interrupt, then a lower voice for having no mike would make it harder.



Hey, one debate down - and two to go - Presidential wise.

I am one who wants to hear what the candidates say, but last night made it hard to hear anything for all the interruptions - especially on the part of President Trump. It seems he was intent on distracting with a given prepared note he wanted all to hear - and it did not matter if he had to interrupt to offer it.



Perhaps future moderators will realize a one mike procedure to limit unwanted interruptions, but I suggest ignoring any comment by any candidate that has not been requested by a moderator. Just tune an unwanted interruption out – and maybe by doing that, we will at least learn something from a candidate willing to “play by the rules.”