-
I'm starting to understand, running for president now involves navigating a percent of shitty, impossible to elect, candidates who are there because performing in debate allows them to present themselves stripped of all context to the public, this laundering their reputation.
-
Because debates are only discussed in mainstream media in the frame of night-of performance, it's a great place for terrible people to go if they want a good sizzle real of major reporters saying how awesome they are.
-
Then it's off to the book tour, exec position, consulting job, or TV co host gig they could never have gotten unless they had their rep basically cleaned up for them by goldfish-brain-level reporting.