Clea Conner

For over 250 years, public debate has shaped the destiny of the United States. In this third episode of “The Death of Debate,” I’m digging into how, from our Founding Fathers to modern presidential contests, our leaders have hashed out society’s biggest disagreements in taverns, town squares, and mass media. Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist. Lincoln vs. Douglas. Kennedy vs. Nixon. Trump vs. Biden. For all the valid critiques of modern American politics, these historical debates aren’t mere political theater—they often decide the course of history. Tune in next Friday for episode four of “The Death of Debate.”

My opening remarks at today's record-breaking Incubate Debate in Hendry County, FL. "Debate is hard. It’s not supposed to be easy. It’s not supposed to be easy to have to research topics from NATO to the American Revolution to World War II, or to ponder the question Machiavelli asked us in The Prince—whether it’s better to be feared or loved. Debate is hard, Mr. Swindle, but the students of Hendry County, all 1,800 of them, rose to the occasion. Give yourselves a round of applause. I started Incubate Debate in 2019 because when I graduated high school in 2013, I was on the debate team. Debate changed my life. I had a stutter. I wasn’t as confident coming up on stages like this and talking to folks, but I had a passion, like so many of you do, for what’s happening in our country. What I found with Incubate Debate is that we weren’t just trying to incubate, Mr. Jewett, the debate teams. We’ve done a great job of that with partnerships with coaches like you. But we were trying to bring debate to every middle and high school student in the classroom—to infuse debate into the everyday curriculum. You finish a lesson on American history? Have a debate about it. You finish a lesson in English? Debate the different perspectives you just contemplated. This partnership with Hendry County is the first of its kind, and it’s going to be a blueprint for what Incubate Debate is going to do across this great state of Florida and across this great nation. Mr. Swindle, Mr. Sanchez, thank you very much. It is an honor to be here. And as we say at Incubate: may the best argument win."