# Why doesn't anyone air a debate show?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anyone-air-a-debate-show/640635>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 10, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anyone-air-a-debate-show/640635 "2012-11-10T23:57:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anyone-air-a-debate-show/640635/21 "2012-11-12T01:17:29Z")

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It’ll work until they have John Stewart on and he spends the whole time saying how ridiculous the whole thing is.

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anyone-air-a-debate-show/640635/22 "2012-11-13T05:11:59Z")

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William F. Buckley’s _Firing Line_ had occasional debate specials. The classic one is the 1978 debate about turning over the Panama Canal Zone to Panama. Buckley, for; Gov. Ronald Reagan, against. [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Lin](http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Lin)

Star-studded cast also includes Pat Buchanan, John McCain, and former U.S. Senator Sam Ervin.

In later years he’d have Michael Kinsley as the debate moderator, who was light-years fairer than any recent campaign debate moderator.

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**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anyone-air-a-debate-show/640635/23 "2012-11-13T05:42:05Z")

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Why doesn’t anyone debate an air show?

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**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-anyone-air-a-debate-show/640635/24 "2012-11-13T06:01:21Z")

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> [@jz78817](#):
>
> I think we want a show without a smarmy dickhead hosting it 😉

😃

This.

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