In its constant struggle for viewers, the American media has repeatedly sunk to new lows by serving up a smorgasbord of programs derisive in nature and appealing to our most prurient interests. While this makes for quite a spectacle, and thus boosts ratings, the programs are a potent force behind the polarization of the United States. Public policy, by its very nature, does not fit this mode of expression. Public policy, at least in its ideal form, is formed through a series of rational compromises in search of an enlightened middle ground. For these reasons, Think Tank, a half-hour public policy program that debuted on public television in April of last year, comes as a refreshing breath of fresh air in the cartoonish world of policy debate.
Discussions are in a civil tone that viewers can understand.
Most TV debates are not realistic, and not like the way debates are pursued in the policy community. What's more, the caliber of panelists far exceeds that of the average public policy debate. Past panelists, for example, have included such notable and diverse thinkers as James Fallows, David Gergen, Camille Paglia, Robert Bork, Lani Guinier, Francis Fukuyama, Elliott Abrams, Caspar Weinberger, and Jeane Kirkpatrick. Moreover, the Rand Corporation, Urban Institute, CATO Institute, Brookings Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, and Heritage Foundation, among others, have fielded representatives for the program. It's like hosting a dinner party.