The Importance of Debates

26 days ago the candidates participated in a CNN debate in Jacksonville, Florida. It was their 19th debate so far. These debates have gotten sky-high tv ratings and have even been called "event" television. They define candidates in both good and bad ways. Some get defined as "good speakers" or "act well under pressure". Others "fall from grace in front of the live cameras". Since debates are live and public for the whole world to see, whatever happens in a debate shapes a lot of different people's opinions of each candidate. Many people decide who they are going to vote for based on the debates. In a primary or caucus follows a debate, the candidates want to make sure they do well in the debate or they might have trouble doing well in the primary or caucus. The debates provide insight for how each candidate acts under pressure. What may be the final debate of the season will be this Wednesday night in Mesa, Arizona. Some people are thinking of it as a "season finale". Even though these debates have been "substantive and issue based" they have also been very entertaining and have been called "event" television.