Should audiences be allowed to cheer at presidential debates?

Newt Gingrich says that asking debate audiences to hold their applause is an assault on free speech — and vows that he'll protest such rules

A debate crowd in September, 2011
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

After an unusually subdued Florida debate, Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that he wouldn't "allow" the moderators of future GOP forums to prevent audiences from cheering. Gingrich's often-fiery performances at the podium, especially his attacks on the media, have energized conservative crowds and fueled his rise in polls, but, at Monday's debate, NBC's Brian Williams told the crowd to hold its applause until the breaks. In hindsight, Gingrich says he wishes he'd protested NBC's rule, arguing that it amounts to stifling free speech. Do audiences really have a right to cheer at presidential debates?

No. Gingrich's complaint is bogus: "Free speech? Meh," says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. That's a "false and silly" argument. The First Amendment says the government can't regulate free speech, but news organizations "have every right" to avoid cutting into the candidates' debating time by setting some rules. If Gingrich and his fans in the audience don't like those rules, they can stay home. "Free speech does not mean that NBC has to broadcast cheering sections."

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