Friday, March 29, 2024

How to Improve the Debate Format: Take a Cue from English Soccer

An English Premier League table (photo credit: Mike Beales via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)
An English Premier League table (photo credit: Mike Beales via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)

Allow us, today, to draw lessons from our British cousins.

English Premier League Soccer, like today’s Republican Party, organizes its winners and losers into two strata. At the conclusion of each season, the three worst-performing clubs are “Relegated” to the lower league, while the three top-performing clubs from the lower league are kicked upstairs to the “Big Leagues.”

Such should be the case with the two “Leagues” of last night’s Republican debaters. Let’s shake up the debates by rewarding success and punishing those candidates who depressed us, objectively failing.

Organizers take note:

The three lowest-performing debaters can be fairly judged to have lost last night’s 9 P.M. event.

The three top-performing debaters from last night’s 5 P.M. debate can be justly carried into the winners’ circle.

Debate winners and losers can be determined by polling. But here are my provisional picks.

From the 5 P.M. debate, promote the following 3 candidates:

  • Carly Fiorina
  • Blank – no qualifier
  • Blank – no qualifier

From the 7 P.M. debate, relegate the following 3 candidates:

  • Ben Carson
  • John Kasich
  • Rand Paul

And, oh yeah, Fox News, promote Martha McCallum and relegate that oh-so-tiresome Megyn Kelly.

James McCrery is and architect and political thinker who lives in Washington, DC.

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