On today’s Show, shot from 1915 Broad Ripple Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America, Planet Earth, Paul Ogden and I will discuss whether the system of presidential primaries has corrupted the selection of candidates for President of the United States, and what alternatives we have to the system.

   On December 1 the hiatus of "Civil Discourse Now" will be over, with discussion of the ways in which the presidential primary system has corrupted the way in which candidates for our nation’s highest office are selected. On December 15 the topic will be "World Peace." I shall be "for" the concept of World Peace.

   Tuesday night’s "town hall" debate between President Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was significantly different from what we saw and heard two weeks ago.

   Here is how I scored the debate.

   Delivery: Romney was choppy with audible pauses and hesitations. He also ignored the rules. He ran over on his time and interrupted when the President had the floor. The President also ran over on his time, but not as much. President Obama was direct and his…

   On today’s Show (10/13/12) we will discuss the debates—the Veep, past and upcoming Presidential—and the latest polls. Our guest will be Jeff Cox. The weather’s nice but chilly. This probably will be our last Show on the deck for this season. Of course, this is Indiana, so next week could be beautiful and 80 degrees (or miserable, sleety and a high of 42).

   As to the debate Thursday night and who won, let me go through the scoring categories, with a maximum of five points for…

   Thursday’s debate is shaping into a media blast. Generally, Obama supporters want blood. Republicans want to smirk more. So this Thursday, at 9 p.m., we get another "debate." Vice President Joe Biden versus U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican nominee for V.P. Location: Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Moderator: Martha Raddatz, ABC senior foreign affairs correspondent. Topics: all things foreign and domestic.

   The are a few more aspects of the debate I did not address…

   The consensus is Mitt Romney won Wednesday night’s debate. If we use the factors I listed in my last blog to score the debate, what is the result?

   Delivery: Romney was less hesitant than he has been in the past, but was not spellbinding. On the other hand, Obama seemed asleep. I score Romney a 3 and Obama a 2.

   Responsiveness to questions: This is the "duck" factor. Again, politicians are terrible about this. A person does not answer a question when that person simply…

   How should one "score" the "debate" tomorrow night?

   In high school and college debate, ballots had six areas, each awarded five points, for a total of 30 points possible per speaker. My memory might be faulty as to those areas, but the scent of 3M paper still haunts my nostrils when I flash back to trips home from tournament.

   The usual areas were: delivery, refutation, organization, evidence, analysis, and cross-examination. Those ballots were for competitive rounds in…

   President Obama is reported to have crammed for the "debates" (I wince to apply that term to the glorified Q & A sessions to be held) he faces in the next couple of weeks versus Mitt Romney.

   One of my law professors, Henry Karlson, commented to my first-year Crim Law one day that, the previous evening, a former student had called to ask a question about evidence. That particular lecture was on a Friday. The student had called because he was taking the bar exam. The bar exam…

   The first presidential "debate" will occur on October 3.

   The dish on Mitt Romney is that he brings opponents down to his level. In my years of competitive debate in high school and, especially, college, and I understand the principle that a bad opponent can screw up a good team. The effect is akin to the pouring of Karo® syrup into the gear of the machinery of the brain.

   Comparisons frequently are drawn between sports and politics. In sports there is less subjective…

   People should not refer to the public Q & A sessions as presidential "debates."

   As a kid, I was interested in the idea that candidates for President of the United States engaged in debates. By the time I was aware of such matters, the "big" debates were in the past. Of course Lincoln and Douglas debated over a century before in their race for the United States Senate seat from Illinois. Those "debates" consisted of hour-long statements by each candidate in a Chautauqua…