Yesterday's debate was better than the one before - the candidates argued and a few clear policy distinctions emerged.

But much can be done to change the entire nature of the process, and put the debates back in the hands of people. We're democratizing other parts of the political process, so there's no reason to leave out the debates.

Prof. Lessig at the Open Debate Coalition runs through the next steps:

1) Video rights in 2008. There is still a possibility that video rights to this year's debates will be put in the public domain. This is being worked on, and if it comes through, it will be yet another important precedent and a show of momentum. If folks with blogs want to ramp up the call on the Commission on Presidential Debates and the TV networks to release video rights, that would be helpful. If you know either of the Commission chairs (Kirk and Fahrenkopf) or higher-ups at TV networks, and want to get more involved, please let me know.

2) Reform or scrap the Commission on Presidential Debates.  As we stated in our last letter, even though Obama, McCain, and the public all agreed on 'open debate' principles, the Commission refused to implement these principles or even engage in dialogue about them. Therefore, the outdated, top-down Commission has got to go--or be dramatically reformed. 2008 should be the last year that the Commission on Presidential Debates exists as we know it. All of us can help make clear that, in the future, voters must "own" the debates--and we demand debates that are democratic, transparent, and accountable to the public. This push will likely come after the election, unless there's some universal outrage tonight. We've laid the groundwork for this fight.

3) Moving beyond presidential debates. There's a clear path for us to affect the 2012 presidential debates together. But part of the strategic significance of this 2008 push is that it will have a ripple affect on all debates. We are reshuffling the norms, and we can use the momentum we've gained in 2008 to tackle debates in 2009 and 2010. For instance, we've heard that the League of Women Voters refuses to let people share key moments from local, state, and congressional debates. We now have leverage to let them know that's not acceptable, and to usher in modernization of those rules.

The Commission on Presidential Debates is ridiculous. Corporate sponsored and unaccountable, they're a terrible model for democracy.  

And now even Grover Norquist agrees:

"I'm happy to join the Open Debate Coalition in calling for dismantling the Commission or fundamentally reforming it so it is accountable to one constituency only: the public."