Mike McCurry, the Democratic co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates told Poynter on Thursday that pundits and politicians are unfairly criticizing debate moderator Jim Lehrer’s performance last night. McCurry said the new debate format — a 90-minute event divided into six 15-minute segments — was a challenge for the moderator. He added:
“I think we were satisfied; there was a lot more engagement and dialogue between the candidates than in previous debates, which is one of the things we really wanted to provoke. I think that worked very, very well,” said McCurry, a former press secretary for President Bill Clinton who is serving his first term on the debate commission as co-chairman.
“I think it’s difficult to moderate this new format because if the candidates decide that they’re going to go off on their own, it’s a little tough for even Jim Lehrer to pull them back in line.
