2008 Presidential Election: Who are you voting for?

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

What was your take on him making a point to ask the candidates to look at each other and talk to each other?

I really liked that - it seemed like he was trying to make it less of a series of stump speeches, and more of an actual debate. I also like it more when it becomes a real point-counterpoint.

Originally Posted by jwright25

You know - I noticed that too. I felt like last night was more of a traditional debate where they were allowed to go back and forth and react to each other's statements. In the past it was more like Question-Answer-Answer-Next Question-Rebut the first Question-Rebut the rebuttal and so on. It just got too twisty-turny when they were still going on about the first issue 30 minutes later.

Although I didn't turn it on until a half hour in, I have to say that I didn't really hear or learn anything that I didn't already know. Which makes me wonder if these things aren't put on to see who can deliver the most one-liners. There is some value in determining who can think on his feet, but the questions are pretty general and expected. Presidential debates probably had more value back in the day before 24-hour news channels and the internet - before we were bombarded with Presidential Politics at every turn.

I like this thread. Some of the others are hard to get to the substance because of all the gratuitous bashing.

I completely agree with that last sentiment; that's why I haven't posted about the election, or specifically about the candidates, in a while. There are a few people on here who I can have a really good give-and-take with (KSigRC, nittanyalum, MysticCat, etc.) but other than that it's been mostly bashing. I understand that partisan politics get nasty, and that each candidate has obvious "warts," so to speak, but people just can't seem to see the flaws in their own candidate. Plus, the GC posting format makes it almost impossible to have much of a political discussion (they always seem to be better in real time).

I don't think you learn a whole lot from the debates - the candidates don't have a whole lot of time to speak (even more so in a real debate format), so it becomes a series of one-liners and sound bites. Each guy is just trying to get in the one line that will be remembered after the debates (like Reagan's "I won't make an issue out of my opponent's youth..." or Lloyd Bentsen's "You're no John Kennedy.").

That's what I liked about Lehrer - even if it didn't work perfectly, at least he tried to do something different.