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Articles on Political debates

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Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, debated on Oct. 7, 2020. Justin Sullivan / POOL / AFP/Getty Images

Dominance or democracy? Authoritarian white masculinity as Trump and Pence’s political debate strategy

The seemingly different debate styles of President Trump and Vice President Pence are examples of the same thing, what a political communication scholar calls ‘authoritarian white masculinity.’
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears up her copy of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

Civility in politics is harder than you think

It’s easy to perceive a political opponent as being uncivil – and that opens the door for an uncivil reply as well.
Host Jack Barry, middle, is flanked by contestants on ‘21,’ a 1950s TV game show. Orlando Fernandez/New York World-Telegram and Sun/Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons

Think presidential debates are dull? Thank 1950s TV game shows

The only satisfactory debate arrangement everyone agreed to nearly 60 years ago largely remains in place today – the game show format.
Left to right: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pose before the start of the French-language leaders’ debate in Montreal in September 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS

A new debates commission is the electoral reform Canadians need

The creation of a new debate commission in Canada should ensure televised showdowns between party leaders amid federal election campaigns are transparent and a boon to democracy.

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