She has researched political debates since 1980 and is the author or co-author of 15 articles and books on debates including "The 1992 Presidential Debates in Focus." Mitchell S. McKinney is professor of communication and director of the Political Communication Institute at the University of Missouri. That's why we disagree with those who want to scrap presidential debates, the metaphorical equivalent of a presidential job interview. And we expect voters will again want to watch the "interview" between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden on September 29 -- the first of the three scheduled presidential debates ahead of the November 3 election. First, the objection that debates don't influence the election outcome because they don't change voters' minds.

Source: The Nation September 17, 2020 11:08 UTC