Definition of "public debate" []

• The formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it (usually followed by a vote) (noun)

WordNet. Princeton University. 2010.

• "Since then, the public debate has been deadlocked, with some on the right arguing for a strong dose of market discipline through Health Savings Accounts, others on the left arguing for a single-payer national health-care plan similar to those that exist in Europe and Canada, and experts across the political spectrum recommending a series of sensible but incremental reforms to the existing system."
• "This brings us to a different point-the manner in which religious views should inform public debate and guide elected officials."
• "On a variety of levels, unregulated corporate electioneering might diminish the ability of citizens to "hold officials accountable to the people," ante, at 23, and disserve the goal of a public debate that is "uninhibited, robust, and wide-open,""