Asking the two presidential contenders to explain what the acronym “FBI” stands for. Neither of them can do it. Pundits spend the next week arguing why their candidate got closer to the right answer so that means they won the debate. Economy sags 3% in October, nobody remembers what happened in the debates, and the incumbent loses.
I’m old enough to remember when the League of Women Voters ran these debates, and candidates had more than two minutes to answer a complex question.
You best start believing in failing empires: You’re in one.
The League of Women Voters was an anomaly. They only ran debates in three campaign seasons - '76, '80, and '84 - and pulled out in '88 when the RNC and DNC leadership attempted to set the terms of the debate behind the LWV debate organizers’ backs.
Now debates are about as unscripted as any other reality based TV show, with campaigns knowing everything that will be asked well in advance of the event and getting to dictate everything from the time of questions to the lighting of the stage.
You best start believing in failing empires: You’re in one.
American democracy has always been a shitshow. Go back to the real time coverage of older debates - from Nixon v Kennedy to Bush v Dukakis to Bush v Gore - and you’ll have people saying all the same shit about the campaigns being superficial and the candidates being too heavily coached and staged and the analysis being too vapid.
This is how liberal democracies function. If you’re just now noticing the kabuki nature of the show, it isn’t because things have gotten worse. Its because you’ve become more experienced and less naive.
How much does a loaf of bread cost? Rent in NYC? Having your appendix removed? Those are the questions we should be asking them. Because I can guarantee you they have no fucking idea.
I’ll bet one of the two candidates could easily answer both of those questions
My ‘favorite’ silly Trump bit was when asked about the environment, clean air, water, etc., he said “we had H2O”. Wow sounds so science-ey!? 🙄 (It was like a Ralph Wiggum ‘I’m learnding’ moment)
I’m old enough to remember Trump gutting the EPA, approving oil drilling permits, and reducing national park land and that those are considered all negatives for the environment :/
Remember the last debate when they were arguing over who loves fracking more? FFS!
