Freedom of thought and of expression is the very soul of democracy – so much so that one cannot exist without the other. It is for this reason that many types of contest debates and public discussion have been evolved in many institutions of learning around the world. Lately, the 3rd US Presidential Debate caught the eyes of the many peoples around the world since US is one of the globally leading country today in which others looked up to as their model. The said 3rd Presidential Debate was moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS with the country’s presidentiables, Senator Jhon McCain and Senator Barrack Obama. As they started, they were given one (1) question which to be answered at a time among the two debaters. The following were the total ten (10) questions:
- Why is Your Economic Plan Better Than Your Opponent’s?
- How would You Cut Spending?
- Can you balance the Budget in Four Years?
- Are you Willing to Say Face-to-Face What Your Campaigns Have Said About Your Opponent?
- Why Would the Country Be Better Off If Your Running Mate Became President?
- How much Can U.S. Reduce Dependence on Foreign Oil?
- Do You Favor Controlling Health Care Costs Over Expanding Coverage?
- Could You Nominate a Supreme Court Justice Who Differs With Your View on Rose v. Wade?
- Does Poor Performance in School Pose a Threat to National Security?
- Should Federal Government Play a Larger Role in Education?
In each given question, the candidate gave his stand on the issue. Then, the other would be free to argue his opponent’s answer. The entire event gave a view of how the two presidentiables carry their selves on the questions raised. Nevertheless, there were many instances when McCain displayed his aggressive manner in answering the questions; and plenty of situations where Obama manifested calmness over the issue.
Based from my readings and as audience of certain debates, I believe that the 3rd Presidential Debate did not have the formal contest form. The said US Presidential Debate had no similarities in format with the different common types of contest debates. To mention, there were plenty of issues / questions raised to the candidates; when in fact, there should only be one issue. Added to that, there were no affirmative nor negative side was assigned / clarified; and each of them is free to argue the answer of the other without giving the appropriate guidelines of who will give first the interpellation nor the rebuttal speech. Since the said debate did not have the formal contest form in structure, therefore, the 3rd US Presidential debate was only one of the many types of public discussion wherein the candidate were given the appropriate time of laying their views on the current US issues and problems. It is the time that each of them can convince and persuade freely their answers to the audience.
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