CEO, Open to Debate @OpenToDebateOrg
New York, New York
Joined November 2008
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My piece in the @WSJ today calls for a real debate between @realDonaldTrump and @VP Harris before Election Day. We have a format, a venue, and a moderator who is scrupulously fair.
wsj.com/opinion/last-call-fo…
Clea Conner retweeted
Episode three of “The Death of Debate,” featuring @clea_conner, @JonHaidt, @jamesfishback, Jay Heinrichs, and @robbysoave. Tune in next Friday for episode four.
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.”
It doesn’t get more existential than this in a democracy.
Episode one of “The Death of Debate,” featuring @shellenberger, @Miss_Snuffy, @adamcarolla, @peterboghossian, @BretWeinstein, @jamesfishback, @robbysoave, and @clea_conner. Tune in next Friday for episode two.
Live now: @JohnDonvan is "letting his hair down" on the state of debate today with moderators @nayeema and @nickgillespie for @OpentoDebateOrg.
We’re LIVE! Join us right now for INSIDE THE DEBATE with @JohnDonvan, @nayeema, and @nickgillespie. open.substack.com/live-strea…
How does @OpentoDebateOrg work behind-the-scenes? Join us for a roundtable with @JohnDonvan, @nickgillespie and @nayeema live now on @substack:
Join us TODAY on @substack at 5 pm ET for INSIDE THE DEBATE, a live conversation with moderators @JohnDonvan, @nayeema, and @nickgillespie on the art of moderation and what civil discourse demands right now.
open.substack.com/live-strea…
Clea Conner retweeted
As a nonprofit dedicated to preserving open debate, we see this as a devastating moment in our national story. Debate should never carry the risk of death. Read our statement here: bit.ly/46mlXAE
Clea Conner retweeted
LIVE Debate Happening Now: Should the U.S. Be Ruled by a CEO Dictator? featuring @curtis_yarvin and @glenweyl. Moderated by @JohnDonvan. xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1BdGYZpNo…
Clea Conner retweeted
LIVE NYC DEBATE ON SEPT 4
Should the U.S. Be Ruled by a CEO Dictator? Join us for a high-stakes debate featuring self-described monarchist and founder of the “Dark Enlightenment” @curtis_yarvin, and economist and democracy advocate @glenweyl.
📅 Thursday, Sept. 4 I 7 PM at Racket NYC
Tickets are selling quickly—secure yours today! bit.ly/3V2ZgMo
Clea Conner retweeted
If you’re in media, this is worth a watch.
Cloudflare handles ≈20% of global traffic, so when CEO Matthew Prince warns at Cannes that AI bots are reshaping the web, publishers need to adapt or risk being left behind.
Do you value curiosity over certainty – and dialogue over division?
@OpentoDebateOrg is a nonprofit by design – so we can fiercely protect our neutrality from corporate agendas and political pressures. No spin. No divisive outrage. Just fair, open, and balanced #debate for curious minds.
As our fiscal year ends, we are raising critical funds to continue bringing Open to Debate to the public square. Help us:
-Host public debates that break through echo chambers
-Deliver free resources to students and educators
-Grow a nationwide community dedicated to civil discourse
Donate now and help us meet this moment: Opentodebate.org/donate
Our CEO, @clea_conner, and the whole team at Open to Debate want to say thank you. At a time when misinformation is loud and trust in the media is at an all-time low, you’ve helped us meet the moment, growing a community committed to balanced arguments, thoughtful ideas, and open minds.
As a small nonprofit, we rely on your support to keep weekly conversations going. Please consider making a gift to support our work: opentodebate.org/donate
Honored and humbled to represent @OpentoDebateOrg @ the 50th Annual Gracie Awards this week—especially in celebration of our brilliant moderator @nayeema.
It was a joy to celebrate this moment with Lia Matthow, our Chief Content Officer, and congrats to our exceptional debaters @AllisonSchrager and Kadie Philp, who tackled a topic many deem too taboo to debate. (We politely disagree, as always.)
Debate has long been seen as a man’s arena—women weren’t even allowed to participate at the Oxford Union until 1963. That’s why this Gracie, honoring @Nayeema's masterful moderation of a debate on the gender wage gap, is such a meaningful milestone.
Congratulations to all of this year’s Gracie winners across news, film, television, comedy, and sports. I'm so proud to see Open to Debate recognized among such inspiring women in media. 💪
Clea Conner retweeted
Trump's economic agenda has dominated headlines since he retook office. Bloomberg's @MishalHusain moderated a debate where five experts broke down the first 100 days of Trump's second term bloom.bg/44mfXIO
“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.” Inspiring remarks from @jamesfishback on @IncubateDebate.
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."
Very excited to announce a new @OpentoDebateOrg collaboration with @BloombergTV, recording live at Bloomberg Studios in NYC next week. More to come on this economics / finance series in development:
Bloomberg's Mishal Husain hosts a debate featuring speakers Jeff Ferry, Jason Furman, Mariana Mazzucato, Stephen Moore and Allison Schrager, to look at Trump's economic agenda after the first 100 days of his second term.
Watch live on April 29 at 6pm ET: bloomberg.com/live/stream
📣 @OpentoDebateOrg is in the running to joining the #Webbys Winners Circle. RT + VOTE for our Mock Trial Debate with @cateici and @ACLU’s Julia Kaye, moderated by @JohnDonvan: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicV…
Clea Conner retweeted
Are UN peacekeeping missions and aid efforts in the Middle East helping or hurting?
Some say they help prevent humanitarian crises. Others argue they fail to stop violence.Others argue they fail to stop violence. This week @CrisisGroup's @RichardGowan1 debates @UNWatch's @HillelNeuer.
Watch now: youtu.be/L8el15Xsli4
Clea Conner retweeted
Is Musk's DOGE dodging the law? Join us for an exclusive X livestream debate TODAY March 4 at 2:30 PM ET, featuring legal experts Laurence Tribe and Michael W. McConnell: xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1LyGBWpNE…
Clea Conner retweeted
A must-watch debate tomorrow on DOGE!
While the Trump-Zelensky meeting is dominating news, the President is quickly moving forward with his plans to double tariffs on China, set to take effect on Tuesday. Last week we hosted a live debate with @CFR_org to examine both sides of the issue, asking: was Trump right to increase tariffs on Chinese imports?
Clip below, full debate here: opentodebate.org/debate/was-…
"We're America. We can do whatever we want to."
In our recent debate, @StephenMoore dismisses the World Trade Organization (WTO) as ineffective, but @J_A_Hillman warns that exiting could lead to chaos.
Does the WTO still serve US interests? Watch the full debate now on YouTube.
Recommended viewing — @BretStephen_NYT debates Len Downie on the question of journalistic objectivity.
opentodebate.org/debate/is-o…
@washingtonpost @nytimes
Clea Conner retweeted
Four experts weighed in on proposed reforms to the Supreme Court in #TheHopkinsForum, a debate series hosted by @SNFAgoraJHU and @OpenToDebateOrg.
Learn more from the inaugural event at #HopkinsBloombergCenter: bit.ly/3Q4EgCD
