While others discuss who won last night’s first presidential debate of 2016, it is our duty to offer some perspective on how well Lester Holt performed as moderator.
There are a few critics who accuse Holt of disappearing and allowing the debate to turn into an uncontrolled shouting match, but for the most part Holt is getting positive reviews for staying in the background and allowing the candidates to put their full selves on display.
Watching on C-Span before the debate began, it was clear Holt understood the high stakes and the scrutiny he was about to endure. His voice quavered a few times as he addressed the audience before the live broadcast started. There was also a very tense moment – about two minutes before the start – during which a technician came out and had to remove Holt’s jacket to adjust the anchor’s earpiece. Probably the last thing Holt wanted to deal with before a potential audience predicted at 100 million. He kept his cool as the clock ticked down.
Holt may have won the long game Monday night as well. By keeping a low profile as moderator he set himself up to be called back as moderator again in four years – possibly following in the footsteps of Presidential Debate Commission favorite Jim Lehrer. This would be a personal coup and a big win for NBC News where Holt has long been viewed as a team captain – even before taking over after the scandal that took down Brian Williams.
