Town Hall Debates for Obama and McCain: Following Lincoln-Douglas to Return to a Smarter Debate Format

It does seem maddening that Barack Obama won't agree to a town hall debate forum as John McCain insisted they have before the fall debate season starts and the speeches from cue cards commence. Some might look at that as a weakness in Obama not being able to think on his feet (i.e. George W. Bush had he done a town hall debate with Gore in 2000) and the experience of McCain talking off the top of his head showing him up. It's a misnomer, though, to think that Obama can't think on his feet without the need of prepared notes. The man is a lawyer after all and has already proven himself to be a cogent and eloquent speaker right off the top of his head without having to look at 8x10 cards as a tip-off of how to respond to a complicated question from the press.

That makes the frustration why Obama won't agree to town hall debates all the more frustrating. And it's even more frustrating that Obama and McCain don't work with the Commission for Presidential Debates to finally remove the long-corrupt system that's permeated the fall debates for the last twenty years and bring a series of true town hall debates where we can determine who's best suited to be President based on quick mental acuity and not manufactured answers.

In an article I wrote here back in April about how the Commission for Presidential Debates managed to wrestle away the Presidential debates from the League of Women's Voters (who actually provided more of a town hall format during the 70's and early 80's), it gave some deductive reasoning that the Republican party had actually taken control of the system when the Democrats are supposed to be part of the process on deciding what happens. Because Obama and McCain can't seem to come to a consensus on designing a town hall debate format, it gives indications that they're pretty much in agreement that the more typical way of debating is better for Presidential candidates.