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Petition To Let Joe Rogan Moderate 2020 Presidential Debate Attracts 49,000 People

Updated August 16, 2021

It's hard to believe that even Joe Rogan could have predicted the trajectory his career has had over the years.

He started as a comedian who broke in through the popular sitcom NewsRadio back in the '90s, but the 2000s would see him transition from this role to reality show host before finding steady work as an MMA commentator.

Yet, recent years have seen him rise as the host of perhaps the world's most popular podcasts that feature lengthy discussions of anything from international politics to particle physics to the possibility of intelligent alien life.

And whether listeners agree with him or not, they're often impressed by the journey each of his extensive interviews takes them on. So impressed, in fact, that they want to give him an incredibly important role.

Back in May, a petition appeared on change.org with a simple goal: get Joe Rogan to moderate the 2020 Presidential Debates.

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As the petition's creator Ashton Stowell argued, "Joe Rogan is a widely respected host who has hosted interviews with politicians, economists, scientists, and other popular figures, who come from various walks of life."

In particular, Stowell recognized Rogan's experience and talent for interviewing people at vastly different sides of the political spectrum.

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As Ashton pointed out, Rogan's guests have included Democratic candidates such as Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, and Bernie Sanders, right-wing commentators such as Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro, and the Libertarian candidate during the 2016 Presidential Election, Gary Johnson.

Indeed, Rogan's recent interview with Bernie Sanders seems to have convinced many of the petition's signatories that he's the right person for the job.

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As Newsweek reported, people were not just entertained by Rogan asking Sanders if he would reveal any extraterrestrial secrets if elected president, but impressed by the opportunity his show gave Sanders to discuss his potential policies and ideas with such depth.

As far as the petition's supporters are concerned, Rogan's personal politics also make him a valuable asset to the debates.

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As Stowell wrote, "Joe Rogan is not registered under any political party and is well-known for having civil, productive, and interesting, conversations about political issues without partisan bias."

And so, they're hopeful that Rogan's civility and curiosity will translate to effective debate moderation.

Reddit | [deleted]

Ideally, he would be able to lead discussion into potential policies and key issues of importance to American democracy and society in a fair and constructive manner.

Stowell also figured, likely correctly, that he would draw a great deal of interested viewers to the debates.

And it's recently become clear a large and passionate group agrees with Stowell.

Change.org

At the time of this writing, the petition has attracted over 49,000 signatures and several new ones are appearing on a minute-by-minute basis.

It will likely pass its 50,000 signature goal within the hour.

Of course, even if Rogan lives up to these great expectations, there's still the question of how much control he'll have over where the debate goes.

Reddit | saltpepper90

Depending on how the debates are planned out, there may only be so much Rogan can do about the debate descending into the festival of soundbites that Sanders expressed frustration about when he appeared on Rogan's show.

If this still sounds like the right call to you, however, the petition is available here.

h/t: Change.org

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