Julio Cortez/AP Photo
The setting of Tuesday night’s not-so-presidential exchange of ideas
The Commission on Presidential Debates has plunged itself into deep thought about how to prevent a recurrence of President Trump’s disruptions in the two remaining presidential one-on-ones. The option of shutting off a candidate’s mic if he persists in interrupting his opponent seems the most sensible, but according to a report in today’s New York Times, one factor that may hinder the commission from taking this step, other than timidity, is that cutting off a mic “can be complex from a television production standpoint.” As events would have it, my Prospect colleague David Dayen, who worked in television production for two decades, has spelled out in deliberately simple English how easy shutting down a mic actually is, and how TV sound engineers adjust sound levels all the time.
Nonetheless, should this still prove too burdensome in the commission’s view, I have some modest further suggestions as to how they can deal with Trumpian violations that don’t involve the high-tech conundrums involved in shutting off a mic.
First, the Quicksand Solution: If the moderator has to caution Trump more than once about his interruptions, the part of the stage on which Trump is standing will sink to a level where neither he nor his hair is visible above his podium. Alternatively, the podium can be raised so that Trump and hair are no longer visible.
Second, the Trapdoor Solution: Should Trump be undeterred by sinking beneath the podium, the floor beneath Trump simply opens up, and he rapidly descends to the basement.
Third, the Donald Giovanni Solution: Should Trump somehow clamber back to the stage, a second trapdoor opens and Trump descends into the Fires of Hell.
None of these, happily, involve the technological complexities of altering sound levels.
