The people have spoken: almost three hundred thousand sign petition to get Joe Rogan to mediate a debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
What started as a joke is quickly picking up steam, as nearly 300,000 people have signed an online petition to get podcaster Joe Rogan to mediate a presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
At the time of writing, the change.org petition Get Joe Rogan to Moderate the 2020 Presidential Debate, has more than 278,000 signatures.
The petition, started by someone by the name of Ashton Stowell, is addressed to the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan, non-profit organisation which sponsors presidential debates in the US.
The petition lists a series of reasons as to why Joe Rogan should be picked to moderate a debate, including that he is a “widely respected host” who has facilitated “interviews with politicians, economists, scientists, and other popular figures, who come from various walks of life.”
I hope Joe Rogan will agree to host a debate with President Trump and Vice President Biden. It would be both more entertaining and more educational than the stuffy, self important traditional debates.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) September 15, 2020
“He has revolutionized the way political interview and discussion works, as he has provided a long-form media format that has allowed the exchange of ideas to be fully explored,” the petition continues.
Elsewhere it argues that voters have become “disenfranchised with pundits and/or anchors connected to large mainstream corporations that are viewed as having ulterior motives or ties to a certain party or politician” and that Rogan would “negate the chance of corporate influence”.
Is @JoeBiden gonna debate @realDonaldTrump w/ @joerogan as the moderator or what? Who is holding this up?
— Theo Von (@TheoVon) September 16, 2020
It goes on to point out that Rogan has experience interviewing both progressive and conservative thinkers and that his audiences contain viewers from “all areas of the political spectrum” and that Rogan himself is not registered under any political party.
“[Rogan] is well-known for having civil, productive, and interesting, conversations about political issues without partisan bias,” it continues.
“While it may seem unconventional to choose someone without an established career in the political/journalist sphere, Joe Rogan can facilitate a discussion of policies and ideas rather than a dramatic spat.”
Joe Rogan Talks About Having Trump & Biden On The Podcast
—#JRE #JoeRogan #Debate #Trump #Biden #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/QfLQkuMwdh— Joe Rogan Experience Clips (@JRE_Podcast) September 14, 2020
The idea was first floated by retired MMA competitor and Army Ranger Tim Kennedy whilst on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. Rogan immediately took to the idea, and President Trump even later agreed to participate. At this point, Biden is yet to respond.
I do! https://t.co/H9Eghnqpuy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2020
One thing’s for sure, this far into 2020, the idea of Joe Rogan moderating a presidential debate doesn’t even sound strange anymore.
