How to Watch a Presidential Debate
Know how to watch the debate when it starts., Ask yourself what issues are most important to you, and which ones you want covered., Do a little advanced research into the candidates, learning their broad ideas and stances., Follow current events in...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know how to watch the debate when it starts.
Since debates are almost always broadcast to everyone in the country, this should be easy.Almost all debates are on basic cable channels like ABC, CNN, Fox, etc, and start around 8-9 EST.
If you don't have cable, you can stream the debates for free online.
Many bars and restaurants will also have "watch parties," depending on how close or exciting the election is.
Be sure to tune in a week or so in advance to make sure you can watch it.
Since the 2016 election, all debates have been posted in full on YouTube the next day, if you miss one. -
Step 2: Ask yourself what issues are most important to you
What do you want to learn from the debate? Maybe you feel comfortable with foreign policy, but are confused about tax proposals.
Maybe you feel like the candidates haven't talked about education policy enough, and you are curious for more.
Think about your own preferences first, before the debate, and then see who is more convincing or matches your views more.
Are there issues you want to do a bit more research in to feel comfortable? It is okay to not have a stance yet! You watch debates to learn and choose a side, so go in with an open mind for now if you're confused.
Once you know what issues are important, you can think about how you'd like a politician to approach the same issue. , Debates often turn into discussions over finer points, as each candidate already knows their larger differences.
But this can be confusing if you're just tuning in for the first time.
To get up to speed, check out each candidate's website.
What do they prioritize? What sorts of images and ideas take center stage? If you click on "Issues" or "Stances," what issues come up first? No president can accomplish everything, even if they win a second term.
Knowing what issues each candidate wants to tackle first, therefore, is important when voting.
Remember that these sites are advertisements paid for by the campaigns.
While they tell you the candidates' priorities and differences, they are not great sources of "news."
A good example comes from the 2016 Republican debate after the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Suddenly, the most important questions became how to prevent more attacks, responding to ISIL, and fighting "radical Islam." Knowing the actual facts of the events (who planned the attack, security measures in place, etc.) will make it much, much easier to sort through the candidate's positions on it.
In political season, nothing is off limits.
That said, the major news events of the week will almost always come up.
You don't have to spend hours on the news.
Once or twice a day, check out three or four websites like the New York Times, Washington Post, Democracy Now, Google News, etc. to get filled in on major events. , The internet age has ushered in new methods of citizen democracy.
Each network has a different system
-- some want emails, others Tweets during the event, and others require you show up to the debate itself
-- but almost all of them take a small percentage of viewer questions.
Check into the debate a few days before if you have a burning question you want lobbed at the candidates.
Good questions can usually be answered by multiple candidates, and avoid attacking or taking a side.
Open minded, broad questions usually have the best chance of getting in.
Twitter is one of the most common platforms for questions.
Hashtags like #CNNDebate often take off before the debate to field questions., Growing in popularity, town hall debates take place with just one (very occasionally, two) candidate at a time, a moderator, and audience questions.
Instead of responding to each other, the candidate is basically interviewed by the audience through the moderator, who asks follow-up questions and pushes on difficult points.
While they don't let candidates directly respond to attacks, they do allow the audience to get longer, fuller, and more substantial answers from each candidate.
To be truly politically astute, you should try and watch at least one town hall and one debate for each candidate.
You see them both under pressure and giving detailed answers. -
Step 3: and which ones you want covered.
-
Step 4: Do a little advanced research into the candidates
-
Step 5: learning their broad ideas and stances.
-
Step 6: Follow current events in the week leading up to the debate to stay up-to-date on questions.
-
Step 7: Consider submitting your own questions to the debate.
-
Step 8: Understand the difference between a "classic" debate and a town hall debate.
Detailed Guide
Since debates are almost always broadcast to everyone in the country, this should be easy.Almost all debates are on basic cable channels like ABC, CNN, Fox, etc, and start around 8-9 EST.
If you don't have cable, you can stream the debates for free online.
Many bars and restaurants will also have "watch parties," depending on how close or exciting the election is.
Be sure to tune in a week or so in advance to make sure you can watch it.
Since the 2016 election, all debates have been posted in full on YouTube the next day, if you miss one.
What do you want to learn from the debate? Maybe you feel comfortable with foreign policy, but are confused about tax proposals.
Maybe you feel like the candidates haven't talked about education policy enough, and you are curious for more.
Think about your own preferences first, before the debate, and then see who is more convincing or matches your views more.
Are there issues you want to do a bit more research in to feel comfortable? It is okay to not have a stance yet! You watch debates to learn and choose a side, so go in with an open mind for now if you're confused.
Once you know what issues are important, you can think about how you'd like a politician to approach the same issue. , Debates often turn into discussions over finer points, as each candidate already knows their larger differences.
But this can be confusing if you're just tuning in for the first time.
To get up to speed, check out each candidate's website.
What do they prioritize? What sorts of images and ideas take center stage? If you click on "Issues" or "Stances," what issues come up first? No president can accomplish everything, even if they win a second term.
Knowing what issues each candidate wants to tackle first, therefore, is important when voting.
Remember that these sites are advertisements paid for by the campaigns.
While they tell you the candidates' priorities and differences, they are not great sources of "news."
A good example comes from the 2016 Republican debate after the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Suddenly, the most important questions became how to prevent more attacks, responding to ISIL, and fighting "radical Islam." Knowing the actual facts of the events (who planned the attack, security measures in place, etc.) will make it much, much easier to sort through the candidate's positions on it.
In political season, nothing is off limits.
That said, the major news events of the week will almost always come up.
You don't have to spend hours on the news.
Once or twice a day, check out three or four websites like the New York Times, Washington Post, Democracy Now, Google News, etc. to get filled in on major events. , The internet age has ushered in new methods of citizen democracy.
Each network has a different system
-- some want emails, others Tweets during the event, and others require you show up to the debate itself
-- but almost all of them take a small percentage of viewer questions.
Check into the debate a few days before if you have a burning question you want lobbed at the candidates.
Good questions can usually be answered by multiple candidates, and avoid attacking or taking a side.
Open minded, broad questions usually have the best chance of getting in.
Twitter is one of the most common platforms for questions.
Hashtags like #CNNDebate often take off before the debate to field questions., Growing in popularity, town hall debates take place with just one (very occasionally, two) candidate at a time, a moderator, and audience questions.
Instead of responding to each other, the candidate is basically interviewed by the audience through the moderator, who asks follow-up questions and pushes on difficult points.
While they don't let candidates directly respond to attacks, they do allow the audience to get longer, fuller, and more substantial answers from each candidate.
To be truly politically astute, you should try and watch at least one town hall and one debate for each candidate.
You see them both under pressure and giving detailed answers.
About the Author
Samuel Moore
Writer and educator with a focus on practical creative arts knowledge.
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