Debate Talk

It's an amusing story which comes up over ARD (German public channel One) today.

Back around three weeks ago...they held the one and only political debate between the CDU and SPD candidates (Merkel versus Schulz).

A fair number of Germans watched the debate.  A fair number of those who viewed it....weren't that hyped up or enthusiastic after it ended.  The intellectual crowd kinda noticed that.  It's been a topic of conversation.

You see....within the German sphere of political thinking....when you have a political debate....it OUGHT to be charged-up and hyping people to stand on one side or the other.

When you stand back to admire the 3 September debate....it was an arranged deal.  Chancellor Merkel wrote down some requirements to get her into the room.  There had to be four moderators...only one single debate....and a limited amount of time.  She made it blunt....if you didn't agree to her conditions, she wouldn't have a public debate.

What ARD now says in public circles is that they will never allow anyone to dictate the debate format anymore.  ARD wants a design worked out over the next four years prior to the next election....working up a board group with ZDF (the other public network).

The odds that it'll be accepted by the candidates of the SPD, CDU, or five lesser parties in 2021?  Well, no one mentions that part of the story.

Several of the candidates have accepted guest appearances on public and private channels.....with regular people asking questions, instead of the journalists or intellectuals.  To be honest, I suspect that most of the German public prefer that type of question and answer situation.....instead of the 'fake-type' debate that ARD imagines.

Why the change dreamed up by ARD?  Well....there's this vision occurring where some people think an entire campaign could be mounted without much assistance or help via the public TV networks (ARD, ZDF).  That you could Q and A sessions....social media advertising....and just speeches.  In that scenario....the importance or value of public TV in Germany diminishes.  I know....it's hard to imagine a lesser value than today in public German TV.....but if you didn't really have anything to gain via public TV....the game is changed.

It'll be curious to see what happens in 2021, and if all this talk by ARD comes to any constructive change.

Oh, and one final note....for anyone to suggest that the SPD candidate (Schulz) really benefited from this debate with Merkel?  No....the numbers actually show a slight slide in the three weeks after that debate.  It did little to advance his position.