Why aren't there ever real presidential debates?
- Thread starter JCX
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MrPing1000
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because American politicians cannot function with unprepared questions.
JCX9 said:
Those sort of debates lend themselves to who is the better debater, which I personally do not feel is all that important in the grand scheme of things. If you look at high school and college debate, typically the better debater wins no matter what side of the issue they are tackling. One day they could debate renewable energy is bad and win, and the next they would win on renewable energy is good. That form is more about your ability to debate, and less about how you stand on the issue. I do not think the current format is all that great, but it is more about giving the viewer a simplistic understanding of where the candidate falls on the issue. A crossfire type debate would just come off as a nightly cable news show.
Link1110
Member
Politicians are not what you think. They tell some guy their political views and that guy writes up a script for them to read about that issue. And their opinion almost never goes above the intelligence level of "abortion bad, tax good."
So politicians are basically one step above actors, that's why they don't have debates, because they can barely think for themselves.
So politicians are basically one step above actors, that's why they don't have debates, because they can barely think for themselves.
Star Power
Member
Because we don't demand them? I mean, it's one thing to complain about how corrupt politicians are and what a sham our gov't is... but isn't it our fault for letting it become that way?
Jill Sandwich
the turds of Optimus Prime
What about presidential rebates?
This is a fair point; in addition, the intensive media focus and the almost microscopic-level analysis of a candidate's every gesture (understandably) frightens the candidates' media advisors so much that they won't agree to anything that's not carefully stage-managed to their perceived advantage. This makes the debates bland and meaningless, like most media that's created to appeal to the broadest possible demographic.C4Lukins said:
lilraylewis
Member
I was reading aobut the Licoln-Douglas debates a while ago. They sounded amazing. I would have given anything to attend one of them. From what I understood, Douglas toured the country on a personal railcar given to him by some politically like-minded railroad tycoon. Lincoln would follow this car around and speak to the crowds that Douglass drew. He even challenged Douglas to a series of debates in which, after Douglas accepted his challenge, he demolished the guy.Dreamfixx said:
Maybe some of the guys in here are right. Maybe technology and media and a fickle public have made such debates impossible nowadays. I think we could still have them, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, it is really a shame that the kind of debates that Douglas and Lincoln had are a thing of the past.
Stoney Mason
Banned
Link1110 said:
Add the fact that the average american is as dumb as a bag of doorknobs about most issues and this post above is correct.
Ninja Scooter
Member
because most politicians are spineless, dumb and simply robots for their respective parties.
C4Lukins said:
You could say the same about campaiging. At which the GOP absolutely DESTROYS the Democrats each and every time with regards to GOTV, fundraising, and rat****ing. Even though Democrats enjoy comfortable margins in public opinion on their issues, it all falls apart come campaign season. There isn't a public debate; just buzzwords, demagoguery, flashy campaign stops and if you're the winning candidate, most likely a completely new "man of the people" persona. Both campaigning and debates need to be fixed, imo. Campaigns are way too ****ing long and debates are shortchanged to the detriment of voters.
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