Democrats should ditch cable news

Turn the debates into a progressive showcase instead of an inquisition

Democratic candidates.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Joe Raedle/Getty Images, Juksy/iStock)

After two rounds of two-night Democratic primary debates, one thing should be abundantly clear — the party needs to walk away from its loveless marriage to MSNBC and CNN and put on its own shows.

When you think about it, it's actually pretty crazy that the party entrusts its signature talent showcase to self-interested cable networks that thrive on dramatic confrontations. Or that it leaves the agenda up to moderators who seem bent on framing their questions with conservative assumptions, trying to get the candidates to knife each other on stage while totally ignoring critical issues like voting rights.

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David Faris

David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.