The GOP Debates Are a Joke. Here Is How to Fix Them.

Image Source: Flickr

After watching nearly every GOP debate for the 2016 election I've come to the conclusion that we need to fundamentally change the way the debates are run. Because when they yell over each other, ratings go up and we know that these networks only care about the ratings. The focus should be on policy and experience, instead it's about entertainment. These debates are not centered on who is the best choice for president, but who gives the best gotcha line. Even the post debate coverage is often short clips of jabs that one candidate did against another. 

Here are 7 suggestions to fundamentally change the way the debates are run:

1. Debates not controlled by network news. Whether it's CSPAN, or an independent group, we need to get the networks out of the debates. They want their ratings to go up, not for us to have high quality debates. All networks shall have access to broadcast the debates. Also all debates will be broadcast live on the internet, without a paid subscription. There will be  time for a break in which ads can be played, but they must not be of a political nature.
2. Mute the other candidates mics when a candidate is speaking or the moderator is asking a question. No one can talk over another candidate, and candidates cannot get into shouting matches.

2. All questions must be related to a policy question, or a candidate's experience. No more questions about what someone else said. 

3. No response time for personal attacks, and all personal attacks reduce future talking time by 30 seconds per attack. Policy attacks are open game. Character attacks are off limits.

4. Once the field narrows to 5 candidates, allot a longer time for each initial response. One minute is hardly enough time to cover important policy topics.

5. The audience is to be quiet or removed from the debate. This has been done before. There is no need to have an audience and the booing and cheering interrupts and wastes time. Mics should not be placed to pick up the Audience
6. Each candidate will be asked an equal number of questions and time to speak. Time of each candidates speaking will be measured and if one candidate is getting less time, they will be allotted additional time to answer a question.
7. 20 seconds to the end of the time that is allotted per question the candidates will be given a warning buzz. 10 seconds after their allotted time their mics are muted.

If we treat the debates like they're a circus or a wrestling match then they are only good for entertainment. If we treat our nation's selection of the next president of the United States with respect, we will possibly see a rise of better policies, and maybe more civility in politics. 

What's Wrong With the News?

About 50 years ago more than 80 companies controlled the majority of print and television media in the U.S. That number is now down to 6. These 6 mega huge corporations — News Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS, and Comcast have changed the way we receive the news on a daily basis, and that isn't necessarily a good thing.

It isn't fully their fault that most people are ill informed, part of the blame lies with each of us. We have at our fingertips the ability to access nearly limitless amounts of information. Our 20 second attention spans and lack of interest in doing our own research is part of the problem. But part of the issue is the major shift we have seen from print media to online and cable TV news reporting.

Many of the old time newspapers were able to focus on subscriptions which meant quality reporting was their main focus. The more quality reporting you had, with quality writers and columnists, the more subscriptions you could sell. Advertising sales would increase with subscriptions, but the focus was on content. Reporters would dig deep to get scoops on corruption in government, and issues that were affecting the average person.

Then the internet came around and for over 7 years now print media has declined, especially subscription to newspapers. Many will only get the newspaper for coupons or shopping ads on Sunday. Other sections that were once considered must reads go into the recycling bin as boring and out of date.

Switching to online media has made many of these companies go away from traditional reporting to celebrity and click worthy news reports. Digital advertising has grown massively with these companies, as they have sought to cover the loss from print media. The focus has shifted from news and print media to online and cable news networks.

We have seen a rise in entertaining news rather than informative. The massive popularity shows like the O'Reilly Factor, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, and Last Week Tonight are indicative of this. Trials like Jodi Arias, which were once only covered by local media now become media circuses with live coverage. 24 hour news cycle is forcing news outlets to have news out immediately as events unfold, even if reporting hasn't been completed.

Facebook and Twitter have also had their impact. Focus on social media and mobile has forced content into 140 characters or less idea, leaving readers with the base understanding, but lacking any depth in content. News media outlets like The Huffington Post, Drudge and The Blaze have taken so much of the online focus that much of news has become focused on being viral content.

Since this shift has occurred you are more likely to hear about Kanye West running for president in 2020 than possible ideas to change the tax code. With old print media, there was the opportunity to explain an issue in great depth; now it often must either have a great deal of opinion and controversy or some sort of celebrity pull for it to be front page news.

Some news outlets are focusing on specific demographics, applying themselves to the "left" or "right" in order to get more people watching their networks, or reading their articles.

There is some hope however, with focused news sites like politico and the hill, which focus much less on biased political reporting and more on facts and informing. Aggregate news sites like realclearpolitics can help you weed through some of the distractions to meaningful posts.

These changes to the way news media functions have altered the way we view our country, our government and the world in general. Citizens are less informed while having more access to news media than ever before. The news channels or stations we watch and listen to can also have a major impact on how informed we are as citizens.

As we now face a new presidential election cycle it is more important than ever that we focus on educating ourselves on the issues and candidates, having open minds and hearts, and being aware of the needs of our country. We should challenge ourselves to do better, by being wiser in what we watch, read and listen to.

The Jobless Recovery: What the Media Isn't Telling You

As I said before, often the mainstream media doesn't report the whole truth of what is going on in our country. While they may be aware that we are still coming out of a recession, the media reports that unemployment is around 7 percent nationwide. The truth is that our unemployment is closer to 23 percent according to government shadow statistics.

The 7 percent number makes things not sound as bad right? Well that's because it doesn't include people who have been out of work for more than a year, those in part-time positions who’d prefer full-time jobs and people who are so discouraged that they’ve stopped looking for work. This is the lie that the media is telling you.

What you haven’t heard is jobless claims unexpectedly went up 40,000 more than expected last week. Initial claims were at a seasonally adjusted 379,000 according to the Labor Department. That is the highest level since march and it was the second straight week that claims have risen.

Additionally, More than 4.4 million people received unemployment benefits in the week ended Nov. 30, the latest data available. That was 600,000 more than the previous week. The majority of recent college graduates cannot find work in their field, and many who are often are underemployed.

For those who are job hunting, many are ending up at temp agencies, hoping somehow to get enough money to pay next month's rent. But that'll be one more job added to payrolls next month, when that college grad starts temping for 9 dollars an hour.

To top it off, congress was the least productive it has been in decades, and is considered to be the worst ever according to a recent CNN poll. Between government shutdowns and debt ceiling debates it's clear that our leaders aren't focused on helping us.

So what has the media been focused on? Well let's see, Mega Millions, Duck Dynasty, Miley Cyrus, not to mention the whole Black/White  Santa scandal, all of which the CNN, MSNBC and FOX News have spent countless hours debating, discussing and picking apart every detail.

We need to wake up to what is going on in America, unemployment and underemployment are much higher than we are being told, and there must be further discussion on what can be done to solve these problems by the media and our leaders.

Mainstream Media Control

I read a lot of news articles every day, and I try my best to read articles from across the country and world, from different viewpoints. But until recently I didn't know that really many of these organizations are the same at the core.

Did you know that in 1983 the mainstream media was made up of a collection of more than 50 companies, and that now power and control of our news outlets has been condensed to 6 mega huge corporations — News Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS, and Comcast — who work in conjunction with various political figures to literally decide what news is delivered to the public, and what level of truth is behind that news. They control everything we watch, read, and hear in regards to the news.

The truly terrifying thing about our current reality is that there are so many things wrong with America, with our presidential administration, and our overall standing on the global stage that the media simply isn’t reporting on. This translates to ordinary Americans who are completely unaware of the poor economic health of our country.

While they may be aware that we are still coming out of a recession, the media reports that unemployment is around 7 percent. The truth is that our unemployment is closer to 23 percent according to government shadow statistics.

The 7 percent number makes things not sound as bad right? Well that's because it doesn't include people who have been out of work for more than a year, those in part-time positions who’d prefer full-time jobs and people who are so discouraged that they’ve stopped looking for work. This is the lie that the media is telling you.

So wake up and do your own research! Shake up the world and get involved. Read and observe and most of all get involved in the world around you! The core of American Democracy is civic engagement and it has begun to wither as people have slumped into their chairs and left it up to politicians to decide their fate. In honor of Peter O'Toole I will add this one quote from Lawrence of Arabia "Nothing is written."