Our View: Long live political debates

After watching Tuesday’s presidential debate, we’d like to propose that moderators abide by soccer rules if there is a next one and award “added time” at the end of the debate.

In soccer that means extending the game past regulation time to make up for lost time due to injuries, substitutions, disciplinary penalties, arguments and other delays, a common practice.

In a debate with clearly defined speaking limits, moderators should have the ability to award added time to a candidate who received less speaking time because their opponent did not abide by the rules. For Tuesday’s presidential debate on ABC News, the candidates had two minutes to answer questions, two minutes for rebuttals and an additional minute for follow-ups and clarifications. Their microphones were supposed to be muted when it wasn’t their turn to speak, but former President Trump repeatedly spoke out of turn and the moderators repeatedly turned his mic back on. Who that benefitted in the end is hard to say, but it wasn’t fair play.

On the subject of debates, we were disappointed to learn Wednesday morning that U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber had declined more than one debate in front of a live audience with his DFL-opponent Jen Schultz. Happily, we hear he’s now agreed to one television debate with details to be announced.

Debates are important. It’s an opportunity for voters to make a direct comparison between the candidates. While a lot of what you hear in a debate is slogans and talking points, voters can gauge the candidates poise, plus how well they think on their feet and respond to rapidly changing situations.

Debates matter. Look at what happened after President Joe Biden performed so poorly earlier this summer. He’s still the president, but he’s no longer the candidate.