Ugh. There they go again.
Are you watching the Republican debate tonight?
I’m not. I hate the damn things. I’m not at all sure this is a great way to pick a leader.
Oh, I realize public debate has been a central part of politics since, like, Rome or Babylon or Og the Mammoth Slayer versus Gru Hamfist or whatever. If you’ve ever watched Prime Minister’s Question Time, you have to admire the sharp elbows and quick thinking of Limey politicians. They make our legislators look like the mongtards they truly are.
But, you know, those are debates. Go back to, say, Lincoln/Douglas…those guys were arguing about a defined set of topics (mostly slavery). They were having a conversation about topics.
What we do is make our candidates stand like lemons under bright lights while self-important lefty journos sling gotcha questions at them (Who’s the vice president of Durkadurkastan?) and meelions and meelions of people watch them on TV to see who flinches. This is doubly stupid in the Republican debates, where the dang moderators NEVER ask about things important to Republicans (why do we allow this? WHY?).
I’m just not sure the qualities that would make somebody good at this are the same qualities that make somebody good at presidenting. Also, I have grievous stage fright and thinking about standing up there before all those invisible eyeballs…I need a little lie-down.
By the way, if you’ve got it in your head (I did) that televised debates have been a part of our political landscape since Kennedy/Nixon, not so. It was sixteen years before Ford revived the format, trying to pushback against Ol’ Peanuts.
Posted: September 7th, 2011 under personal, politics.
Comments: 24
Comments
Comment from Veeshir
Time: September 7, 2011, 9:24 pm
I always read Stephen Green’s drunkblogging of any speech or debate the next day.
Comment from Deborah
Time: September 7, 2011, 9:26 pm
Perhaps you would like to go drunkblogging tonight with PajamasMedia’s Stephen Green at Vodkapundit: Synchronize Your Cocktail Shakers. I have to abstain, but I’ll be knocking them back in spirit.
http://pajamasmedia.com/vodkapundit/2011/09/07/synchronize-your-cocktail-shakers/
Comment from Scubafreak
Time: September 7, 2011, 9:31 pm
“Debates” these days are about as usefull as tits on a boar. All it is is a tightly controlled question and answer session with the result decided in advance by the moderators.
I pine for the good old “Steel Cage Death Match” debates where the moderator had two functions. To ask a couple of questions for the candidates to argue over, and to keep things from coming to blows…
Reagan vs Carter was the last REAL debate in American Politics….
Comment from S. Weasel
Time: September 7, 2011, 9:32 pm
Good idea! At least, I’ll check him tomorrow. The debate starts at 1am Weasel Time.
Comment from Steve In Tulsa
Time: September 7, 2011, 10:05 pm
Need another reason not to watch? It is on NBC.
Comment from EZnSF
Time: September 7, 2011, 11:42 pm
I wanna stay away. I can’t stay away. I wanna stay away. I can’t stay away. I wanna sta………..
Comment from Christophyer Taylor
Time: September 8, 2011, 12:01 am
I think only really hardcore political junkies and CSPAN watchers watch the debates.
Comment from Oldcat
Time: September 8, 2011, 1:01 am
Comment from Christophyer Taylor
Time: September 8, 2011, 12:01 am
I think only really hardcore political junkies and CSPAN watchers watch the debates.
Especially now. The election season doesn’t start until after New Years for just about everyone. All this is just insider junk.
Comment from EZnSF
Time: September 8, 2011, 1:21 am
@ Oldcat
It’s never to early to get involved and stay aware of what the hell is happening. For God’s sake, one of these people is going to be president. And if you don’t think they wont influence how you live and what your bank account will be doing for the next four years (or decades), well…..
Shit, every bushman in the Kalahari should be paying fucking attention.
Comment from Oceania
Time: September 8, 2011, 2:05 am
I remember the 2008 Republican Party Cluster-Phuck and BBQ. Not sure if I can be bothered attending the next one, but Beastiality was a Key Word at the last one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cTtncQhicM
As I said last time, it would be a Gift for you to see yourselves as we see you.
Comment from Randy Rager
Time: September 8, 2011, 2:22 am
If I were the Republican candidate for President, I would simply release the following statement:
“Some of you jackasses in the press have asked me to debate pResident O’Bumblefuck. I have no intention of debating vacuous non-entities in a contest rigged by the Democrat Party’s propaganda arm. I am going to talk directly to the people that matter, the American people. Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) can feel free to go pound a bag of sand straight up their ass.”
Comment from EZnSF
Time: September 8, 2011, 2:29 am
@ Oceania
Who the fuck cares how NZ’ers see us. We barely give a shit how the UK sees us. Christ, half the US wants to move the UN to FR, and the only reason we pay attention to CA is because they’re our HAT.
Comment from mojo
Time: September 8, 2011, 3:00 am
It’s mostly not about the answers (you could get those from position papers) but about how they handle pressure.
Can they tell a blatant lie with a convincingly innocent look? Order the incineration of a metropolis with a sly wink of insouciance? Pick your pocket and have you thank them for the privilege?
Gotta know this stuff in these days of modern times.
Comment from Uncle Al
Time: September 8, 2011, 3:04 am
The only thing of interest to be gained when politicians speak is you get to find out from the winners the exact nature of their lies.
Don’t listen to them. Watch them and see what they do.
There’s only one prez candidate who does what he says and always tells the truth as he sees it. But the electorate has its collective head so far up its ass that they regard that one (Ron Paul) as an extremist because he’s honest and doesn’t bullshit them as they are accustomed to.
Even if you don’t like Paul’s take on things, you have to admire his guts and honesty.
Comment from Oceania
Time: September 8, 2011, 4:33 am
Ahhh the Peanut Farmer Versus The Actor! The memories … although he was an ex nukeworker.
Notice something about that montage? No black people.
Notice something about your Nations decline? ….. bingo!
Comment from Scubafreak
Time: September 8, 2011, 5:19 am
Herman Cain is black, and I’d vote for him in a heartbeat, dipshit.
Comment from Oh Hell
Time: September 8, 2011, 6:04 am
It doesn’t matter if the candidate has pink tentacles and purple spots, the only criteria for the position should be CAN HE/SHE/IT DO THE JOB? What the job entails is another matter altogether…..
Comment from EastAsia
Time: September 8, 2011, 2:36 pm
(don’t talk to it, don’t talk to it, DON’T—!)
I can’t help it.
NO, Oceania, Jimmah Carter was not a ‘nukeworker’. He took a couple of classes when in the Navy. That’s it. He’s no more qualified to run a nuclear anything than I am to converse with Caesar, cause I took a Latin class in HS.
Comment from Oldcat
Time: September 8, 2011, 4:53 pm
EZ2SF –
And in 2008, All the listening at this time would have told me that Hillary and Mitt Romney were shoo-ins for the nomination. This turned out not to be the case.
All the insider calculations at this point are suspect, because the candidates aren’t facing anyone but beltway insiders. When they hit the people next year, that’s when it starts to matter.
Comment from Oldcat
Time: September 8, 2011, 4:55 pm
>> Even if you don’t like Paul’s take on things, you have to admire his guts and honesty.
Nope.
Comment from Christophyer Taylor
Time: September 8, 2011, 10:12 pm
It’s never to early to get involved and stay aware of what the hell is happening.
Yeah it is too early. I don’t want to watch a debate of 4 year olds who may, one day, be president. I don’t want to watch a debate of congressmen and governors who years from now want to run for president. And I don’t want to watch a debate of people who want to be elected more than a year before the election. Nothing is going to be said that won’t be said later, let alone of any importance.
Comment from Uncle Al
Time: September 9, 2011, 4:13 am
Am I to understand, then, Oldcat, that you prefer politicians who exhibit some degree of cowardice and dishonesty? I hope I’m wrong, but that does seem to be what you mean.
Comment from Oldcat
Time: September 9, 2011, 4:42 pm
What guts does Paul have to have?
He has a job with no responsibility, he advocates things he knows he will never have to actually implement, and all using money that isn’t his – tax payer and supporter contributions.
If he was serious, he would be trying to build a coalition instead of getting his jollies being a ‘lone voice in the wilderness’. At least those hermits and prophets weren’t on TV 24-7 and had to fetch their own food.
Comment from Mrs. Peel
Time: September 9, 2011, 9:11 pm
Paul isn’t honest. Trust me, I know – he’s my representative. Barf.
Just one example – he inserts pork into spending bills and then votes against them and claims he’s anti-pork.
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