June 3, 2007
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Has there been a hiccup in the time-space continuum?
So far’s I’m aware the next presidential election isn’t for almost a year and a half, so what’s up with candidates’ debates NOW? The Repubs had a couple last month, IIRC, and tonight EIGHTEEN Demos are due to verbally duke it out.
Eighteen? How the deuce can there be any sort of viable debate between eighteen people? That’s insane.
I remember when the presidential race didn’t really get geared up on a national basis until the start of the election year. If one lived in New Hampshire or one of the states with an early primary one heard from the candidate-wannabees but at least the rest of us were spared.
Comments (3)
These aren’t debates, that’s the thing. They’re (IMO) opportunities for the TV news media to market itself and preen about how well they’re covering the election. It’s media people who write and pose the questions, and they’re media-driven questions, as well. They’re questions designed to elicit sound bites, and a lot of them are gotcha type questions. It’s all a big show. It’s not politics as entertainment anymore, it’s entertainment posing as politics. I’m really sick of it.
Debate?!! Defined, the word means: a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints: a debate in the Senate on farm price supports. Hmmm.
I never watch these “debates” because I can’t think of a worse way to pick candidates. Some of our best presidents would never have made it because they might not have been nimble at answering questions off the cuff in 30-second sound bites. One wrong word can capsize a whole candidacy. It’s all so packaged and staged and – dumb.