Abdication: The Boston media gives away an important US Senate debate

If viewers and listeners were bored to death by Monday night's senatorial debate at the JFK Library, they have the usual suspects to blame - the media. Only this time, they are right. 

The entire expanse of Massachusetts television, radio and print media ceded control of the debate to the Edward Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Why, you ask? Because it was free - the Kennedy Institute paid for everything. And we all got what we paid for, nothing. The format was lame, the questions were lame, the production was lame and the result was tedious. And for the record, I opposed this lazy and cozy partnership.

Virtually every rule of "don't" was broken. Don't ask everyone the same question, don't ask yes/no questions, don't ask hypotheticals, and don't use a format that doesn't allow for interaction among the candidates.

Peter Meade is one of the most competent, knowledgeable and civically engaged people I know - but that does not make him a debate moderator.  Come to think of it, what he is, is senatorial material.