the.com/debates
Organized arguing where winning matters more than being right.
means Formal contests where two sides argue opposing positions, each trying to persuade an audience or judge.
from From Latin battuere, to beat or fight, through Old French debatre — literally to thrash a topic until one side stops moving.
Lincoln-DouglasSeven 1858 debates ran three hours each.
Format trapBest speaker often beats the better idea.
TV turning point1960 Nixon looked worse than he sounded.