What Was That?
Y’all, it isn’t a good week around here for reasons I can’t really get into right now. We’re fine, health is fine, the family is fine, but I just haven’t been in the mood to deal with politics and stuff. Thus we come to that “debate”.
I don’t know what I watched, but that was not a debate. That was two doddering old coots past their bedtime who hadn’t had their fiber. The media is openly questioning why we need to have more debates. The Republicans claim that means Trump won. I think it means America lost. Who wants to be subjected to that again? We are all more stupid for having watched that.
There was a report in the paper yesterday that BDSM is on the rise with dominatrixes tying people up and beating them. I imagine the Presidential Debate Commission could qualify as the chief dominatrix of the United States because the whole nation got tied to our televisions and beaten up by these guys.
Trump supporters undoubtedly think the President won. He was irascible, combative, and funny. But he got too mean when the President shines best as the funny smartass. He tried too hard to provoke Biden and wound up provoking himself.
Biden supporters undoubtedly think Biden won. He tried to look presidential and not take the bait. Trump was able to throw him off his game several times and he got confused. But he never took Trump’s bait on Hunter Biden.
Wallace couldn’t win. There was no way for him to win. Between the President coming for fight night and Biden coming for the blue plate special, Wallace could not win. The President’s supporters say he was too pro-Biden and interrupted Trump too much. Well, he kind of had to interrupt Trump because Trump wouldn’t shut up.
The big deal will be undecided voters. Undecided voters this late in the game typically break away from the incumbent for something different. I think both Trump and Biden probably did give them an excuse to break towards Biden if any of them bothered sticking around to the end. The upshot for the President is the debate performances of both men probably left most undecided voters hurling F-bombs, going to bed early, and deciding to stay home altogether. Maybe that helps the GOP.
I just don’t know what that was, but I know it was not a debate. That was hell and I wasn’t in the mood for it to begin with.
Last night was a perfect example of why we need another debate format. Debates are supposed to be about giving each side the freedom to present their own view in coherent fashion. Allowing only 2 minute segments with the moderator and candidate interrupting each other is the opposite of a worthwhile debate and using one-line zingers to pick a President is about as sensible as picking the next Presidents name out of a hat.
If there are enough people in our country wish to see honest political debates, I suggest something similar to the Lincoln/Douglas debates, where each candidate gets an uninterrupted 15 minute to lay out his policies, followed by a pair of alternating and uninterrupted 10 minute segments, followed by a pair of alternating and uninterrupted 5 minute sessions. The only role of the moderator would be to time the sessions and give each candidate an extra 30 seconds if they went slightly over the time limit.
If people want a moderated debate with tough questions, I suggest each party choose a Congressmen/Senator to ask questions of the opposing party's candidate. For example, Jordan/Cruz might be the ones asking Biden questions and AOC/Sanders might be asking Trump questions. The questions would be limited to 1-2 minutes in time with the answers limited to 5 minutes, with no interruptions permitted. That type of moderated debate would ensure that each candidate faces what the other party considers as tough questions.
Erick, I was looking forward to your post this morning. I totally agree. Last night was a total cluster!! I watched it to the end and I was exhausted and very disappointed. If our President cannot control himself in the next debate he will lose this election. I am a supporter of Trump and will vote for him. We sent in a request for an absentee ballot but we have not received it.
We will go to the polls. Biden is a career politician and he was prepared last night. Trump went into the debate angry and on the defensive. So sad. He had many opportunities to make a smart rebuttal but missed it because he was talking over Biden. Biden said ANTIFA was not an organization, it was an ideology! OH MY GOSH! Trump could have come back with, "So an ideology is burning down our cities"! I am very frustrated. I am voting for our country and the issues, not the man.