# New Rules for Great Debates and Elections – What Has Changed?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [January 1, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732 "2020-01-01T18:47:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732/1 "2020-01-01T18:47:15Z")

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Could someone clarify what the differences are between the previous rules and the new rules?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732/2 "2020-01-01T18:52:22Z")

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The firat most obvious is the “tired of” list of banned subjects and no betting.

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**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732/3 "2020-01-01T18:54:02Z")

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> [@CarnalK](#):
>
> The firat most obvious is the “tired of” list of banned subjects and no betting.

Agreed.

I’m not sure that I agree with the first, in principle. The latter, I’m ambivalent about.

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**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732/4 "2020-01-01T18:55:23Z")

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Some clarification and discussion here: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=887713](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=887713)

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732/5 "2020-01-01T20:48:47Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” - Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Did DPM say that before or after Harlan Ellison?

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**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732/6 "2020-01-01T21:22:00Z")

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Moynihan. He could eat Ellison for lunch, intellect-wise. Everyone should read his stuff.

> **[Daniel Patrick Moynihan | Quotes](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Patrick_Moynihan#Quotes)**
>
> 1."I don't think there's any point in being Irish if you don't know that the world is going to break your heart eventually. I guess that we thought we had a little more time."– Reacting to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, November 1963 |
> 2."No one is innocent after the experience of governing. But not everyone is guilty."– The Politics of a Guaranteed Income, 1973 |
> 3."Secrecy is for losers. For people who do not know how important the information really is."– Secrecy: The American

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**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-rules-for-great-debates-and-elections-what-has-changed/845732/7 "2020-01-01T21:56:19Z")

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The biggest change I noticed is that banned posters now have a possible avenue for returning to the Dope. All they have to do is become astronauts.