Peter Suderman

I'm Peter Suderman, I'm gonna be your moderator tonight, and full disclosure, I do work at Reason. But I also appear on a podcast that is run through the bulwark, so I'll try to be fair and not take sides. However, that might be a little bit complicated given our resolution, which is you don't have to pick a side in politics. So if I'm not taking sides, am I actually kind of taking sides?

I'm Peter Suderman, I'm gonna be your moderator tonight, and full disclosure, I do work at Reason. But I also appear on a podcast that is run through the bulwark, so I'll try to be fair and not take sides. However, that might be a little bit complicated given our resolution, which is you don't have to pick a side in politics. So if I'm not taking sides, am I actually kind of taking sides?

I'm Peter Suderman, I'm gonna be your moderator tonight, and full disclosure, I do work at Reason. But I also appear on a podcast that is run through the bulwark, so I'll try to be fair and not take sides. However, that might be a little bit complicated given our resolution, which is you don't have to pick a side in politics. So if I'm not taking sides, am I actually kind of taking sides?

I think that's the sort of thing that's gonna come up in tonight's debate. Now, because this is a debate, there will be a winner, and that winner will be decided by you, the audience. The way this is gonna work is there are going to be two votes.

I think that's the sort of thing that's gonna come up in tonight's debate. Now, because this is a debate, there will be a winner, and that winner will be decided by you, the audience. The way this is gonna work is there are going to be two votes.

I think that's the sort of thing that's gonna come up in tonight's debate. Now, because this is a debate, there will be a winner, and that winner will be decided by you, the audience. The way this is gonna work is there are going to be two votes.

The first vote, you've either already voted or you should vote right now, and then there's gonna be another vote after the debate happens, and the team that wins will be the team that moves the most number of people towards their position. So if you have not yet cast your vote, Please follow the instructions on the screen and vote now.

The first vote, you've either already voted or you should vote right now, and then there's gonna be another vote after the debate happens, and the team that wins will be the team that moves the most number of people towards their position. So if you have not yet cast your vote, Please follow the instructions on the screen and vote now.

The first vote, you've either already voted or you should vote right now, and then there's gonna be another vote after the debate happens, and the team that wins will be the team that moves the most number of people towards their position. So if you have not yet cast your vote, Please follow the instructions on the screen and vote now.

As you do that, I want you to think just a little bit about the resolution before us tonight. What does it mean to pick a side in politics? We are gathered here this evening in Washington, DC, where national politics is dominated by two political parties that are constantly asking you to pick a side. When Americans go to the voting booth, most of them pull the lever for one of those two parties.

As you do that, I want you to think just a little bit about the resolution before us tonight. What does it mean to pick a side in politics? We are gathered here this evening in Washington, DC, where national politics is dominated by two political parties that are constantly asking you to pick a side. When Americans go to the voting booth, most of them pull the lever for one of those two parties.

As you do that, I want you to think just a little bit about the resolution before us tonight. What does it mean to pick a side in politics? We are gathered here this evening in Washington, DC, where national politics is dominated by two political parties that are constantly asking you to pick a side. When Americans go to the voting booth, most of them pull the lever for one of those two parties.

And in the vast majority of races, one of those two parties wins. Fundamentally, voting in a democracy is about picking sides. The very structure of American politics all but forces you to do so. And if you decide not to, are you throwing away your influence? Are you abdicating your democratic responsibility?

And in the vast majority of races, one of those two parties wins. Fundamentally, voting in a democracy is about picking sides. The very structure of American politics all but forces you to do so. And if you decide not to, are you throwing away your influence? Are you abdicating your democratic responsibility?

And in the vast majority of races, one of those two parties wins. Fundamentally, voting in a democracy is about picking sides. The very structure of American politics all but forces you to do so. And if you decide not to, are you throwing away your influence? Are you abdicating your democratic responsibility?

Are you just shrugging your shoulders and saying, you know, it doesn't really matter who wins. But then there's the flip side of this. Doesn't picking a side make it harder to hold politicians accountable? It's often said that politics is a team sport. But if you have already declared your allegiance to one team or another, what incentive is there for politicians to change?

Are you just shrugging your shoulders and saying, you know, it doesn't really matter who wins. But then there's the flip side of this. Doesn't picking a side make it harder to hold politicians accountable? It's often said that politics is a team sport. But if you have already declared your allegiance to one team or another, what incentive is there for politicians to change?

Are you just shrugging your shoulders and saying, you know, it doesn't really matter who wins. But then there's the flip side of this. Doesn't picking a side make it harder to hold politicians accountable? It's often said that politics is a team sport. But if you have already declared your allegiance to one team or another, what incentive is there for politicians to change?

Shouldn't politics be about issues and policies and governance rather than teams and partisan victories? There's a reason that people often praise bipartisanship. Americans tend to like it when politicians work together for better policy and better government rather than against the other side, just so that their own team can win. And then there's that old saw about both sides.

Shouldn't politics be about issues and policies and governance rather than teams and partisan victories? There's a reason that people often praise bipartisanship. Americans tend to like it when politicians work together for better policy and better government rather than against the other side, just so that their own team can win. And then there's that old saw about both sides.