What A Useless Debate
I know that us Obama folks should just be giddy with excitement because, woo-hoo, Obama won another debate, but can we please call bullshit for what it is. If this is what our debates have become, we're in some deep crap. If you could even call this a debate, and certainly not a town hall. This was an illusion of democracy.
I want you to imagine something, and just bare with me here. If you read that a country like China had a debate where they went around casting people based upon their "average appearance" to read scripted cue cards that asked non-critical softball questions of their elected leaders, would you believe it was anything other than pure and utter bullshit? Would you believe it was a debate or a farce?
I can't imagine a political legacy which has has raised as many questions as the past 8 years of George W. Bush, real fundamental questions about who we are, what we are, what we would like to be, and what ideals we still have in common. The controversy surrounding issues like executive power, domestic spying, prisoners of war, when is war justified, our shared goals with questionable countries like Saudi Arabia (Port of Dubai, anyone?), not to mention the basic questions about issues like Supreme Court justices, abortion, gun control, stem cell research, gay rights, the right to imminent domain...there are more questions that have been raised in the past 8 years about the fundamental values of this country than at any time in our nation's history since the Civil War. And not a single question raised over the past 8 years was asked tonight in any of those little cue cards.
Instead of a wide range of topics, we were given 90 minutes to trudge over the exact same talking points, the same questions, the same stump speeches, and the same pot shots that we saw two weeks ago. And call me crazy, but I feel like we're spinning our wheels talking about change, hope, reform, and regulation when nobody even knows what the hell America is anymore. There's a word for when leaders continue spinning rhetoric to drown out substantial criticism, it's called propaganda.
"Is Russia an evil empire?" Brilliant question. Please, let's finish up our discussions from the 1984 presidential debate and then maybe we can listen to Banarama and watch that new movie Teen Wolf. And don't give me that "Shhhh... let's not rock the boat until Obama's in office" argument because it's indicative of the kind of weakness that put us here in the first place. Obama is not magic. Him winning this election doesn't make these questions vanish, nor does it pull a philosophical resolution from any hat.
I like Obama. I believe that he has a capacity to connect to voters that is inspiring and it could be used for some great good. But it's foolish to project onto any one person what you think their judgments might be based upon your assumptions and not their word. And anybody who cares more about a single man winning an election than the answers to these basic fundamental questions deserves an administration as truly terrible as the one we're currently suffering.
I want you to imagine something, and just bare with me here. If you read that a country like China had a debate where they went around casting people based upon their "average appearance" to read scripted cue cards that asked non-critical softball questions of their elected leaders, would you believe it was anything other than pure and utter bullshit? Would you believe it was a debate or a farce?
I can't imagine a political legacy which has has raised as many questions as the past 8 years of George W. Bush, real fundamental questions about who we are, what we are, what we would like to be, and what ideals we still have in common. The controversy surrounding issues like executive power, domestic spying, prisoners of war, when is war justified, our shared goals with questionable countries like Saudi Arabia (Port of Dubai, anyone?), not to mention the basic questions about issues like Supreme Court justices, abortion, gun control, stem cell research, gay rights, the right to imminent domain...there are more questions that have been raised in the past 8 years about the fundamental values of this country than at any time in our nation's history since the Civil War. And not a single question raised over the past 8 years was asked tonight in any of those little cue cards.
Instead of a wide range of topics, we were given 90 minutes to trudge over the exact same talking points, the same questions, the same stump speeches, and the same pot shots that we saw two weeks ago. And call me crazy, but I feel like we're spinning our wheels talking about change, hope, reform, and regulation when nobody even knows what the hell America is anymore. There's a word for when leaders continue spinning rhetoric to drown out substantial criticism, it's called propaganda.
"Is Russia an evil empire?" Brilliant question. Please, let's finish up our discussions from the 1984 presidential debate and then maybe we can listen to Banarama and watch that new movie Teen Wolf. And don't give me that "Shhhh... let's not rock the boat until Obama's in office" argument because it's indicative of the kind of weakness that put us here in the first place. Obama is not magic. Him winning this election doesn't make these questions vanish, nor does it pull a philosophical resolution from any hat.
I like Obama. I believe that he has a capacity to connect to voters that is inspiring and it could be used for some great good. But it's foolish to project onto any one person what you think their judgments might be based upon your assumptions and not their word. And anybody who cares more about a single man winning an election than the answers to these basic fundamental questions deserves an administration as truly terrible as the one we're currently suffering.
Advertisement
This debate was even duller than most. Nowadays, debates are like auditions, where an actor comes in and reads his lines and we try to decide who looks the best and carries himself the best and sounds like he really believes what he's saying.
Obama came across as young, good looking, and authentic and McCain didn't. But I agree there wasn't anything new or original to what either of them said.
October 8, 2008 2:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
'commended for this...
...and this.
What we have to do now if figure out what we can do, given the circumstances, after Obama gets in office. As in, how can we as constituents apply pressure to Obama and the future Dem congress to affect real, fundamental change?
If we simply stay quiet and assume that Obama is telepathic and can read our minds and will enact our will based on superpowers, we're in for a bad presidency. We need to tell Obama and our congressmen what needs to be done, what we expect of them as our representatives and executor.
October 8, 2008 3:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Additionally, I don't know where you've been during the last eight years, but every debate since (at least) 2000 has been milktoast.
It's a wonder anyone watches them at all.
October 8, 2008 3:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
This was essentially a rehash of the first debate.
October 8, 2008 6:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've long advocated the end of the debate format. Give each candidate 90 minutes alone on separate nights. The 90 minutes would be broken into 6 or 7 ten-minute segments covering different topics such as the economy, social security, foreign policy, etc. The candidate would get a few minutes between segments to prepare for the next one.
The idea here is for each candidate to speak for 5 to 10 minutes on each topic, laying out his plans, explaining the problems, giving us the big picture. The candidate could use any multimedia to help express his views on this topic.
Neither candidate would be allowed to reference the other's position.
This would give a clear picture as to whether a candidate actually has any deep knowledge of a range of important topics. If a candidate can't speak more than 3 or 4 minutes on the economy, that would stand out starkly for the voters.
Our current format of "discuss Crisis A, you have two minutes" is ludicrous. We only get talking points because that's all there's time for.
CNN or some other network would have a ratings coup if they offered this to the candidates. If one accepted, all others would feel pressured to do so. I'd even like to see this done in the primaries.
October 8, 2008 9:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with all of you, this debate was mundane at best. With McCain needing a huge lift, I cannot believe that he barely made an effort. I am appreciative that it wasn't the mud-fest I anticipated, but it was a tired rehash of points and counterpoints that we've heard time and time again.
So why would McCain spend the entire week essentially calling Obama an unknown quantity and everything short of a terrorist and then spend 90 minutes with a national audience for what amounted to a televised nap?
October 8, 2008 9:49 AM | Reply | Permalink