Newt Minow, that is. The famed Chicagoan and former FCC chair has penned an essay for Politico, “Lower the curtain on debate audience” in which he argues:

Audiences at debates should remain silent while the event is broadcast — so the audience at home can benefit from the undiluted opportunity to see the candidates head on.

I’d go further: Send the audiences home.

 Why should there be spectators in the studio for candidate debates?   What, aside from a handful of questions, do they add to the exchange of ideas? How, aside from artificially muzzling them, do organizers guard against outbursts by backers of one candidate skewing the perceptions of the home viewing audience about the effectiveness or import of a particular statement?