Cut Off Their Mikes, Take Away Their Cheering Sections

All I've got for today is an endorsement of these thoughts from Luke Soiseth of Lake St. Croix Beach from his letter to the Star Tribune editor.

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
Overly exuberant audiences have become a distraction

Watching what passes for “debates” these days in the presidential race, I would offer a few fixes. Remove the audience. Put the debaters in a plain room with only the moderators and the cameras. Never, ever let them interrupt one another. Basically, just remove the spectacle. Then let’s see what they’ve got to say.

Management of the debates and the expectations of the audience started dissolving in 2012 and they've gone through the floor drain during this cycle.

It's time for an empty room, as Luke says, and for moderators to cut off the mikes of candidates who can't follow rules.