The Chris Cuomo Project - Raw Dog Debates

Episode Date: August 24, 2023

Chris Cuomo discusses the strategies, failures, and potential of political debates in the United States. He advocates for "raw dog debates," a moderator-free format to allow real-time analysis of candidates' temperament, judgment, and philosophies. Chris also emphasizes the power of debate to help you make an informed decision as a voter. Follow and subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday: https://linktr.ee/cuomoproject Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don't know how much you need this. You don't really get how to value this. And most importantly, you're probably not aware of how you're being cheated out of this. What am I talking about? Here's a huge hint. Debates. I want to take you through how they're used, how they're manipulated, but what they should be. I'm Chris Cuomo.

Thanks for being here for another edition of the Chris Cuomo Project Special. Subscribe, follow, check out me on News Nation, 8 and 11 P Eastern every weekday night. Be a free agent. Be an independent. Be a critical thinker. These are the cures to the political poison, the illness that we are in the midst of. And that takes me to this little bit of food for thought for you. Debates.

Ugh, boring. Let me tell you something. What we need, it doesn't work with a group, but that's okay because you're going to get down to two eventually, all right? And you could separate them now, by the way. There's no need to have a dozen people on the stage, okay? Why couldn't you do 35 minutes on a single topic with just two of them and then do it over a course of nights because we have so much good TV that we need to watch as appointment television. Come on. There's so much shit. You remember the Bruce Springsteen song, 57 channels and nothing on? Now it's like 257 and there's nothing on. So much so that we go to look at little niche outlets on YouTube for where to

watch something about how to tie fishing knots. That's how desperate we are for stuff that actually serves a purpose that we can watch and enjoy. And I'm telling you, we're getting cheated out of what matters most in our politics, debates. All right? Telling you my solution, here's the big one. And it's a total statement against interest. No moderators. No moderators. They didn't have them when they started. We only started putting in moderators because the television companies that were doing it wanted their people in there. Make it more of an event, more structured, more like it's theirs. Doesn't work for you necessarily. Oh, please. It'll be crazy if you don't have a moderator. Yeah, exactly. Fuck the rules. Fuck the control.

Let it be him and her or her and her and him and him, whatever it is. And you will judge the things that make it uncomfortable. Can't believe how he keeps talking over her, him, or the reverse. Can't believe how he doesn't defend himself. Can't believe how he says this. Can't believe how he regards it that way. That's where you learn about somebody. Take away the rules.

Oh, but then they'll talk about whatever they want. No, the only rule is the topic. And if the guy runs away from the topic, then you know he's running away. And you see it. You're smart. You don't need somebody to tell you how to think or what to value or what to weigh or what to care about. The reason we get frustrated with the debates is that they're basically engineered to get you more about breadth than depth. You know what I mean?

We're going to go to this issue and this issue, this issue, this issue, this issue, this issue, this issue. But they're all related. And none of these people have some phenomenal idea. They're usually just echoing what is the collective understanding of their particular side, right? You're not going to get somebody on immigration who's a Democrat who's going to say, throw them all out. All right, they're not going to say that. That's not their position. And by the way, that would be an unintelligent position. You're not going to hear a Republican say, let them all in. Why? Well, that's not an intelligent position. You're not going to hear a Republican say, let them all in.

Why? That's not an intelligent position. See, we've been reduced to these fringes, these extremes. Why? Because it resonates. It's easier to cover for the media. It's easier to piss you off in politics. So each party plays to what casts the opponent as most dangerous.

It's not why I'm best. It's why they're worse. You know it. You know it. And you know there are only two ways out of this right incredible transcendent crisis which even the pandemic wasn't bad enough right millions of people dead now they were in comorbidity please okay the pandemic fucked us up on different levels all right I'm thinking about writing a book about it. Why? Because we did not learn the lessons.

We did not learn the lessons. That shit could happen again tomorrow, and we would fumble through it the same way. Isn't that scary? Isn't that like anathema to life lessons? And that's why you want to be able to measure these people. And I'm telling you, you want to see somebody on their feet, how they're dealing with something.

You're not going to get to see what kind of team they build and what their approach is to problems over time, what their problems is to sustained assiduousness, their work ethic on things. But you can see them on their feet, how they regard other people, how they regard disagreement, how they formulate their understandings and ideas, especially in conflict. Better with no moderator, just two of them, one topic. That's how you do it. Now, we do the opposite of that. Why? Well, look, in fairness to the media, it's because you have to be dazzled the whole time.

More people on the stage. Why? Better chance you'll be entertained, better chance there'll be friction or conflict, more topics. Why? Better chance we'll strike on something that you care about, get somebody in a gotcha or an inconsistency. What's the best thing a moderator comes out with? Their main question should be all night long. It should be hold and why. You know what I mean? It should it should be like hold i said it's not your time all right we'll cut your mic oh you can't do that you're censoring no i gave you a rule you're violating the rule because you know you can get away with it you're basically telling me to

fuck off so fuck you too kill the mic but we're not going to do that why because then you become the story and they weaponize you because the whole thing is about shitting on each other and saying who's worse. Right? The Chris Cuomo Project is supported by Cozy Earth. Why? Because I like their sheets. That's why. A lot of people don't get a good night's sleep for a lot of reasons. One of the ones that you can control is bedding.

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Why? Because it's given you access to affordable and discreet sexual health treatments. And you do it right from your couch. HIMS provides access to clinically proven generic alternatives to Viagra or Cialis or whatever. And it's up to like 95% cheaper. And there are options as low as two bucks a dose. HIMS has hundreds of thousands of trusted subscribers. So if ED is getting you down, it's time to pick it up. Start your free online visit today at HIMS.com slash CCP. H-I-M-S dot com slash CCP. And you will get personalized ED treatment options.

HIMS.com slash CCP. Prescriptions, you need an online consultation with a healthcare provider. And they will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. You see the website. You'll get details and important safety information. You're going to need a subscription. It's required. Plus, price is going to vary based on product and subscription plan. Now, before you start typing, I can't believe you don't need to use the dirty words and the expletives.

You can make your point without it, but it's a dirty business. It's a crass business. It's a profane business. And you're okay with all of that. But when I use language that you probably use every day, oh, not me, please, that you decide to judge. You see, that's the problem. Worry about what matters, okay? You're getting played in these debates.

Yeah, that's why I don't watch. Yeah, and that's why you don't know with words, images, music to manipulate you. And have you ever wondered why, overwhelmingly, there are negative ads about the other side as opposed to positive sides about the person, except in that initial phase when they're trying to introduce you to them. I'm Chris Cuomo. Here's my wife, and here are my children, and here are my doggies, and I love them all. Love me too. Come on. You know this is a game. One of the breakthrough mechanisms to get through the game is debate. The mistake that too many make, you're wrong to feel the way you do, as in aggrieved. No, no, no. You are not wrong to feel any way you want to.

And there are plenty of people, yes, white people included, who have plenty of reason to be scared, to be angry, to be concerned, to be even desperate, and desperate for better, and someone to fight for them. Because it seems like there is a war afoot, and they're losing. So I do not judge people for feeling that way. I just wish they'd picked a better agent who was actually trying to

check the boxes for them. And I know you're going to hear people say they check the boxes. who was actually trying to check the boxes for them. And I know you're going to hear people say they check the boxes. You ever notice how the same people who support Trump all of a sudden go bad on him when they want what he has? What does that tell you? You're going to say, oh, that they're lying now. No, maybe they were lying then when they said they don't really care about this or he's no worse than they ever are.

All of a sudden, Pence is saying he chose Trump over, Trump wanted to choose him over the Constitution. Wasn't saying it then. He did the minimum during January 6th. He was doing what everybody told him he had to do. Okay. He's no hero. Okay.

That's not what he was in that moment. I'm not attacking Mike Pence. I'm just calling it like it is. All right. He's no heroic figure in what happened that day. Oh, but he did it. He did. He was supposed to do it. That was his job. He wasn't given any latitude of discretion. Only Trump said

he did. This is the kind of debate that you should be hearing. People fleshing out the ideas about what matters, but not too much, so that they only say too little and not about little lines that they've rehearsed if he wasn't here tonight he'd be selling watches on 34th street okay that's funny that's clever but you didn't even write it somebody gave it to you you know what i'm saying like you have all these pros and people who are manufacturing something for you i say let's get back to that raw dog debate. Just her and her, her and him, him and her, whatever, whatever, whoever the people are, I don't care. But couple them up, single topic, and let's have a real debate where you get to measure how they handle each other, how they handle the conflict, the confrontation, that point of crisis. And you will see straight line character analyses and who these people are and what they're about. Debate is everything.

Because look, it's the only thing that you can rely on. Once they get in there, so much of what they want to do is going to be consumed by what they have to do is going to be consumed by what they have to do and the allegiances of party and power structure and rules that you're left with like a small slice of what that person went into there with. to know than by seeing them in real time, live, dealing with what matters on the bases that matter most to us as the people who are investing them with this power. You know what word you never hear? Philosophy. What is your philosophy on, I don't know, fill in the blank. Is there such thing as a good war? When is it okay to attack somebody? And when they say, oh, well, when our vital interests are protection of the American people, what does that mean?

What does that look like? Is one bomb automatically war? Well, I mean, I don't know. It depends on the kind of bomb. Oh, good, good. Explain it. Tell me, tell me. When is it good to cut taxes?

Is it always good? Is it sometimes good? I'll give you a hint. It's not always good. It sounds always good to you or me. Economically, it's not always good. Any economic professor, any economist, being honest, will say, no, tax cuts are not a universally good thing. universally good thing. So the nuance, the philosophy, right? Your principles,

the degree of your pragmatism, these things can come out better in debate than anywhere else. I can't do it in an interview the same way. Why? Because I'm not really there to argue with the person. That point of comparison, what answer do you like better, mine or hers or his? That's for them. You're choosing between them, not me, okay? You're choosing to watch me. You're not giving me any power of agency over your own interests and rights and responsibilities,

you know, where I'm going to be able to make decisions that can change the options for your family and your own life. So it's not as easy to do an interview, no matter how good somebody is. Debate is the main thing. Look, no shame in my game. I've been using AG1 for over five years. Why? It works, it's easier, and it's less expensive. That's why. Since 2010, they've been getting their formulations right and tweaking their formulas. Why? Because the science changes, okay? It's not like politics where people decide to believe one thing and no matter what happens with the facts, they never shift.

This is the opposite. Ooh, prebiotics work with probiotics, but in this way. D works with K, and this type of B works with that. They have the scientists doing it, so I don't need all the bottles, I don't have to spend all the money, and I don't have to figure out when to take what and why. More importantly, it's not just the regular list of vitamins. It's the extras, okay? extras, okay? The adaptogens, the prebiotics, the probiotics that support your body's universal needs, gut optimization, immune support, stress management. That's what foundational nutrition is about. And these are the people at AG1 who've been doing the work to get it right. Okay. I tell friends, I tell family, I get no complaints.

Okay. If you want to take ownership of your health, it starts with AG1. Try AG1. You get a free one year supply of vitamin D3K2 and five free AG1 travel packs. Okay. That's what happens with your first purchase. So make it. Go to drinkag1.com slash ccp. Drinkag1.com slash ccp. Check it out. We don't fake the funk here, and here's the real talk. Over 40 years of age, 52% of us experience some kind of ED between the ages of 40 and 70. percent of us experience some kind of ed between the ages of 40 and 70 i know it's taboo it's embarrassing but it shouldn't be thankfully we now have hymns and it's changing the vibe by providing affordable access to ed treatment and it's all online hymns is changing men's health care why because it's giving you access to affordable and discreet sexual health treatments. And you do it right from your couch. HIMS provides access to clinically proven generic alternatives to Viagra or Cialis or whatever.

And it's up to like 95% cheaper. And there are options as low as two bucks a dose. HIMS has hundreds of thousands of trusted subscribers So if ED is getting you down It's time to pick it up Start your free online visit today at hymns.com slash ccp H-I-M-S dot com slash ccp And you will get personalized ED treatment options

Hymns.com slash ccp And you will get personalized ED treatment options. Prescriptions, you need an online consultation with a healthcare provider, and they will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. You see the website, you'll get details and important safety information. You're going to need a subscription. It's required. Plus, price is going to vary based on product and subscription plan. And even with all these limitations that I just outlined for you, there are some value propositions to look out for that probably are not going to be discussed as much. You see what I'm saying? That nature of desperation tells you why debate is so important. Trump is a default agent of animus. He is a lousy debater. He says a couple of clever things. He does not understand the issue. He understands what pisses someone off about the issue. It's different. And it's easy to defeat

one-on-one if there aren't a lot of boundaries and rules and guardrails that give you equal time. And there shouldn't be equal time. Because if you're chewing up my position, then I should be quieted. And that's real debate. And that's what it used to be like. The Lincoln-Douglas debates, Douglas was making all these illusions about Lincoln's sexuality. You know, sometimes they weren't together. And when they were, he would pick another topic because the guy was 6'4", and he was like the size of my sandwich. But they would go at it right next to each other for hours. Hours. Now, is that too much? Yeah, probably. But remember, they didn't have any real other operative media. Even all the newspapers then, you're like, oh, now all the media is so corrupt. It started out so pure. No, it started as pamphlets by publishers who were only putting

out their opinions on things. Just so you know, you know what I mean? We have this tendency to believe the good old days, things were so much better. You know, that's the root cause of MAGA, great again. When were we better than we are now? Oh, well, we used to be a lot more together. No, we used to be a lot more silent about our grievances. We used to not have the megaphone that social media is now, that magnifies minority views. That can be bad. It certainly played us to the fringes. Why? Because anger anonymous works in a zero-sum binary game. That's how you beat another person, is make them a worse proposition than you. You do not have to show you're better. Not in something that is a choice that is fueled by fear. Who's going to hurt you more? We both suck. Go with the guy who seems more dangerous.

That's the guy you want to avoid. So pick me. It's pathetic, but that's where we are. Why? Because we don't have massive crisis and we don't have a transcendent messenger with a message that's better than what we're hearing and all that noise. It is hard for light to beat dark. It is hard for love to beat hate. It is hard for virtue to outweigh anger and vice. The deadly sins are some of the most powerful emotions, pride, wrath, anger, envy, greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, laziness. And then Pope Francis added like abusing the environment and being too rich and like a couple other ones. But the main seven, the original seven. And of course, seven is a number with big biblical import, right? Seven days of creation, et cetera, et cetera. Well, he rested on the seventh. You know what I mean?

So those are powerful emotions. That's why demagogues are such a storied part of our politics. People who can rally those on the basis of their fear, of their animus. It works. Outrage works. You have riots. You don't have hug-ins, right? You never see big groups coming together to tell each other that they love each other. Doesn't happen very often. Why? Because what we're motivated by is what we fear, what threatens us. And that is a fundamental part of politics. And that's why a fundamental part of the agency of political choice of who to vote for is who makes you feel safe. protect the money going in your pocket, the values that you believe will shape yourself and the lives of those you care about around you, who will keep you safe from the bad guys who want to kill us. Why do you think that such an important part of the immigration debate was,

you know, illegals come over here and rape your women and steal your job. Statistically, that's not even close to true. If you want to avoid crime, the best bet would be to have the country filled with people who enter illegally because their crime rates are lower because they're hiding and they're afraid to do a lot of the other things that we do in society. Cuomo says the whole country should be illegals.

Now, what is that? That's reducing a point to a stupid, poor context. Why? Because it scares you. It reduces me. It makes me seem dangerous. That's the beauty of debate. You're not going to say that shit sitting right next to me.

No way. I'm going to be like, I didn't say that. You're a fool, and you're playing these people for fools. I, of course, don't believe the country should be populated with only illegal interests. It doesn't even make sense. How would that even work? It's a stupid point made by a stupid person. And then you would get to judge. Oh, he called them stupid. I don't like that. Oh, we call them stupid. I love that. But you would get to judge. Debate is a cure for so much of the confusion, but it's got to be done right because of the rules of the system right now. And what seems to be valued right now, the parties are really just value buckets. They're just

emotional buckets of people who hate this and hate that and fear this and fear that. Everything has been reduced to the level of attack and defend. It used to be that Republicans would die on the hill of defending the institutions of government. But now they've been out of power enough cycles, and then they picked a guy who got attacked so much by the institutions because of what comes out of his mouth and what was being done by the people around him that they made the obvious play to attack the institutions, which is complete anathema to their party.

But it's about advantage. It's not about philosophy. It's just about making the most of opportunity because you only have to beat the other side. So debate is really one of the last ways that we have to figure out, all bullshit aside, how do we make a normal human judgment in this proposition that's not completely foisted upon us by commercials and a deluge of information that's probably completely foisted upon us by commercials and adult use of information that's probably only half true and interviews that are done by friendlies or by inimical people,

people who are set up as enemies or proxies or this and that. This is the purest form of the dynamic. Me, you, well, not me, I'm the journalist, but him, her, or again, whoever it is. I'm a little pronoun conscious now, but whatever. You know what I mean? This one and this one, here's the issue, go. No moderator. Now, I know. I mean, you know, look, it's not really a statement against interest because I don't want to be a debate moderator. Why? It's too frustrating for me. All I want to do is interrupt the whole time. And that's not really the role.

It's not. It's not for me to make points. It's for them to make points. And I appreciate that, but that's not what I love to do. And I think a lot of other people can do that every bit as well as I ever could or better. So good. Knock yourself out. So it's not as big a statement against interest as it could be, but it is bad for the TV business. And I think that's okay. I think it would be way more valuable to you. So imagine when you're watching, if there was nobody stopping the action, checking the action,

cutting people off, changing the subject, cutting people off, Chris changing the subject, whatever it was. Grandstanding a little bit if that happens. Doesn't always happen, but it does sometimes by the questioners. And instead, it was just them going at it on something that matters. And not forever. That's what I want you to think about when you watch. And then we'll talk about it afterwards and see who seemed to separate and on what basis and what does it mean going forward. And not just in those initial advanced polls after the debate, but one and two and three weeks after that. That's the real metric. Not right after. That's just the popularity. Who had a good night last night given the expectations of what these events are about? It's who takes that

momentum and turns it into drive in the succeeding weeks. That's what you need to look at. So we'll see. I'm Chris Cuomo. Thank you so much for joining me here. Subscribe, follow. Don't forget to check me out on News Nation, 8 and 11 p.m. every weekday night. And be an independent. Get away from the parties. Be a critical thinker. Be a free agent. Check out the merch. All right. Debate. It matters. So let's get after it. you