Right, as Rachel just said, 10 candidates on 'debate' stage all at once.

[elleng]

DAMN! There MUST be a better way, like 5/5??? We DO have time, after all.

[guillaumeb]

1. So sound bites replace any actual discussion.

But soundbites are easier to memorize, and easier for the voters to remember.

[elleng]

4. Maybe SOME voters remember sound bites; not THIS one.

AND would be GOOD if there were DISCUSSIONS, features of which MIGHT be remembered, and further discussed among us.

[guillaumeb]

5. Agreed.

But the corporate media prefers simplicity to nuance. Thus we get what is called a debate, but is a reality television version of a debate.

[Dawson Leery]

2. There are five candidates at this point.

Biden, Warren, Sanders, Harris, Buttigieg.

[elleng]

3. No, there are MORE than five candidates 'at this point,'

like it or not.

[customerserviceguy]

6. I agree, five and five

At least Elizabeth Warren is certain to be facing somebody more aggressive than Bernie Sanders if we do have all ten up there.

[Newest Reality]

7. With respect to the main contenders...

How is this useful, really?

While I find it to have a diverse offering of views and opinions in the mix, which goes beyond merely who gets primaried, because it can bring issues and solutions to light that may not have been broached, the down side is stuffing it all into a short session.

Like you said, we do have time. Something is wrong with the way this is being presented and handled in that sense. I think the sports-style, WWF intro to the last one said reams about that. It gave it a mask of the ridiculous.

If we are going to cater to low-information superficiality in this case, then the diversity of candidates is not as beneficial as it can be, but rather it diffuses the impact and import. Strategically, that is more beneficial to the Refascists since their strategy thrives on low-information and the tendency towards being misinformed that it creates.

We get more spectacle on both sides and less value for us.

[brooklynite]

10. I was at the last debate and have no idea what you're talking about

I think the sports-style, WWF intro to the last one said reams about that.

[cwydro]

11. Gotta agree.

[Blue_true]

8. There are pluses and minuses.

The pluses are that all will be on the same stage at one time and their main themes can be addressed. The minuses is that 10 people are on stage and the time for each to speak is smaller. I would prefer five-six candidates at this point, but people way down in the polls, like Booker, Klobuchar, Yang, O'Rouke have to end their campaigns first. I really think that if Yang, O'Rouke and Klobuchar become little more than potted plants onstage in the upcoming debate, they should look at dropping out of the race.

[cwydro]

12. Lol, your last sentence made me laugh out loud.

“Potted plants” indeed. And you’re right.

[bloom]

9. I am glad that all will be on the same stage. nt