ROMNEY WINS THE NIGHT
Obama-Romney Debate: Mitt Romney Stays Light On Detail
Jim Lehrer Debate Moderating Performance Savaged
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/jim-lehrer-debate-moderator-reviews_n_1937896.html
The Return of Massachusetts Mitt
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/10/return-of-massachusetts-mitt.html
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/10/return-of-massachusetts-mitt.html
Obama Criticizes Mitt Romney Over Lack Of Specifics During Presidential Debate
"We Have a Horse Race Again"
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/10/romney-obama-debate-october-3
Obama On Mitt Romney Tax Shift: His Big, Bold Idea Is 'Never Mind'
Obama On Mitt Romney Tax Shift: His Big, Bold Idea Is 'Never Mind'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/mitt-romney-taxes_n_1937785.html
Idiocracy-The Public Spectacle
WATCH THE FULL DEBATE
Idiocracy-The Public Spectacle
by Kyle Leach
Re-published from 10/3/2012 Out Left
I'm really disappointed that election debates get so much attention. We
are so much more than this. No one really wins with these marketing
spectacles. The candidates are so glossed up and prepped to death,
seeing anything that is real from these people, would really be a
miracle, and I don't believe in those either. Generally, I think liars,
people with sparkling charisma, and those who can put on a very good
public show, do well in these modern circuses.
Candidates used to use this format to reach broad groups of people when we were far apart, illiterate, and completely uneducated. In this age of live streaming, Twitter, YouTube, and citizen reporters, is there a need for this? If anything we have too much information coming our way and we can hyper analyze everything over and over, and unfortunately, we often do so for all the wrong reasons or not at all.
This kind of debate, under these circumstances, can't really tell you who can be an effective leader, who cares for the people they are charged to help, who can really solve our largest problems, or who has a fleshed out plan for the future of the world. Looking over a person's history and public record, and analyzing a candidate's experiences over time can tell you all those things. To know a person all you need to do is look at how they have lived their life. Look at those they have helped. Look at what their hopes and dreams are, look at what they have aspired to.
Unfortunately, many people in this nation can't be bothered to do any that. Instead of spending time learning about the people that they could elect, people take every chance they can to enjoy a good show. They roll around in sticky blind bliss, watching two human beings going through formulaic pissing contests, quick gladiatorial word fights, and comic relief bits unbecoming to anyone engaging in rational thought. Then most don't even vote.
I could extend this conversation to many other spectacles we as a society choose to engage in; we do this often in our republic. Distraction is our favorite pastime. We love it almost as much as Romans loved the coliseum. That's a dangerous parallel to be close to. I'd hate for our republic to suffer the same fate.
Candidates used to use this format to reach broad groups of people when we were far apart, illiterate, and completely uneducated. In this age of live streaming, Twitter, YouTube, and citizen reporters, is there a need for this? If anything we have too much information coming our way and we can hyper analyze everything over and over, and unfortunately, we often do so for all the wrong reasons or not at all.
This kind of debate, under these circumstances, can't really tell you who can be an effective leader, who cares for the people they are charged to help, who can really solve our largest problems, or who has a fleshed out plan for the future of the world. Looking over a person's history and public record, and analyzing a candidate's experiences over time can tell you all those things. To know a person all you need to do is look at how they have lived their life. Look at those they have helped. Look at what their hopes and dreams are, look at what they have aspired to.
Unfortunately, many people in this nation can't be bothered to do any that. Instead of spending time learning about the people that they could elect, people take every chance they can to enjoy a good show. They roll around in sticky blind bliss, watching two human beings going through formulaic pissing contests, quick gladiatorial word fights, and comic relief bits unbecoming to anyone engaging in rational thought. Then most don't even vote.
I could extend this conversation to many other spectacles we as a society choose to engage in; we do this often in our republic. Distraction is our favorite pastime. We love it almost as much as Romans loved the coliseum. That's a dangerous parallel to be close to. I'd hate for our republic to suffer the same fate.
