VP Debate - It's My Soundbite and I'm Sticking To It
Last week after the unimpressive debate number 1 for the top of the ticket, I referenced a piece by Ralph Nader in US News and World Report. In it he gave the summation that the Presidential debates as currently run are a sham, set up by the 2 major parties to allow them to stretch a 30 second commercial to an hour and a half. The first debate was a snore-fest to anyone who has been paying attention up to now and Nader had an apt characterization. I closed the piece looking forward to some real debating for the veepstakes.
Now I must categorize Mr. Nader's statements as wisdom for the ages (and I never thought that I would be in agreement with Ralph Nader on anything, ever...). To all but those hearing the candidate's for the very first time, the whole debate was the most canned piece of "news coverage" since Barbara Walters interviewed Michael Jackson and Lisa-Marie Presley. What non-news. To be fair, this may be what the Commission on Presidential Debates or the campaigns had in mind - to serve as an introductory primer to the candidates and issues. That would seem a little non-sensical in an election where there is "record voter participation", but let's leave that possibility out there. Both candidates delivered their soundbite answers, in order, with their leashes held tight, regardless of what the moderator asked. The moderator, Gwen Ifill of NewsHour on PBS, was reluctant to challenge either candidate on anything, with revelations coming out this week that she has a book deal with Obama due to release on Inauguration Day. She functioned as timekeeper and punctuation mark between candidate remarks. Both candidate's were handled to the point that the only emotion present in the room was the frustration of the candidate's themselves aching to speak freely. The campaigns are both living in such fear of a gaffe, they are sucking the humanity out of everyone standing in front of the camera. As people, I like both Sarah Palin and Joe Biden - what showed up last night were Disneyesque robots that looked like the real thing, and knew the words, but lacked any authenticity. They will be perfect standing next to the John McCain and Barack Obama we saw last week in the "Hall of Presidents" exhibit in Mouseland, Orlando.
Once again, no minds were changed, the undecideds are starving for real information, and the main stream media is hailing last nights debacle as the greatest debate since Lincoln - Douglas (and I imagine both Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas are spinning in their graves over that characterization...). We, as a society, are being hoodwinked into thinking that anything of substance happened at the debates last night. It was a staged, timid bit of infotainment unworthy of any of the candidates, the news media, or the office of the President. It was especially unworthy of the American People. With fleeting hope, we look to the next debate for some meat.
Now I must categorize Mr. Nader's statements as wisdom for the ages (and I never thought that I would be in agreement with Ralph Nader on anything, ever...). To all but those hearing the candidate's for the very first time, the whole debate was the most canned piece of "news coverage" since Barbara Walters interviewed Michael Jackson and Lisa-Marie Presley. What non-news. To be fair, this may be what the Commission on Presidential Debates or the campaigns had in mind - to serve as an introductory primer to the candidates and issues. That would seem a little non-sensical in an election where there is "record voter participation", but let's leave that possibility out there. Both candidates delivered their soundbite answers, in order, with their leashes held tight, regardless of what the moderator asked. The moderator, Gwen Ifill of NewsHour on PBS, was reluctant to challenge either candidate on anything, with revelations coming out this week that she has a book deal with Obama due to release on Inauguration Day. She functioned as timekeeper and punctuation mark between candidate remarks. Both candidate's were handled to the point that the only emotion present in the room was the frustration of the candidate's themselves aching to speak freely. The campaigns are both living in such fear of a gaffe, they are sucking the humanity out of everyone standing in front of the camera. As people, I like both Sarah Palin and Joe Biden - what showed up last night were Disneyesque robots that looked like the real thing, and knew the words, but lacked any authenticity. They will be perfect standing next to the John McCain and Barack Obama we saw last week in the "Hall of Presidents" exhibit in Mouseland, Orlando.
Once again, no minds were changed, the undecideds are starving for real information, and the main stream media is hailing last nights debacle as the greatest debate since Lincoln - Douglas (and I imagine both Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas are spinning in their graves over that characterization...). We, as a society, are being hoodwinked into thinking that anything of substance happened at the debates last night. It was a staged, timid bit of infotainment unworthy of any of the candidates, the news media, or the office of the President. It was especially unworthy of the American People. With fleeting hope, we look to the next debate for some meat.
Posted by The Thomas Paine Project at 10/3/2008 7:14 AM 
Categories: Partisan Politics
Tags: vice presidential debates
Categories: Partisan Politics
Tags: vice presidential debates
There were a lot of softball questions, and a lot of sticking to the message, but I think some of the candidates came through. Joe Biden was visibly emotional when addressing Palin's shot at him about not relating to single parents, and Sarah Palin looked directly into the camera the whole time. It gave you the feeling she was talking to you, and not to however many million people were out there. The handlers had their way, but I saw real people there too.
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I was disappointed too - lots of sound bites over and over, but no real engagement between the candidates. The moderator did nothing to get the candidates to either clarify or even answer the question. You might as well have had two bigscreen TV's running campaign spots over and over again. I don't feel that I saw anything new. We all know Biden is an old pro, and that Palin knows how to work a camera - there was no substance. With the fluff that passed for debate, if you had a candidate you could cheer him or her on, but there was nothing to suggest either candidate made a substantive case. As a voter, I feel disrespected.
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Well, that's 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back again. What a waste of time - I was expecting better from the supposed "scrappers". YAWN!!!! McCain and Obama best pull it together and give us some real debate next time or we may just all lose interest. "Most important election of our time" - not the way the candidates are treating us.
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The VP's did what the VP's do - can't outshine the stars of the show. They were competent and stayed on message, which is all they were supposed to do. However, what's acceptable for a VP candidate is not what's acceptable for the top of the ticket. If John and Barack don't step it up a notch (a really BIG notch) they may start turning off the voters. No one wants to see this kind of mediocre shilling for a vote. Show us what you've got guys - there's too much hype on this election to leave us wanting less.
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I don't know what anyone should expect different than this. With the electorate so split that 1 or 2 percent could mean the difference between winning and losing, who would expect anyone to risk saying something bold or brilliant? McCain hides behind a gauzt image of patriotism and service, and Obama puts on a Kennedy face mask and gives us empty but inspirational sounding words. The two genuine people involved in the race, Biden and Palin, had to be shut up so that the apple cart didn't get upset. We're going to hell like Rome - bread and circuses. Keep us fat and entertained, and no one will notice as the country slides down the rathole. To paraphrase Jefferson - Democracy is never murdered, it always dies by it's own hand.
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