THE DEBATE

We all saw it, we all had a favorite, we all chose a winner.

We're all wrong.

The winner of last night's debate was the Commission On Presidential Debates, their revised format, and the calm insistence of moderator Kristen Welker.

Trump gained ground, Biden held his own, and we, the audience, finally saw and heard some intelligent dialogue on issues of substance.

If the truth be known these are media events masquerading as debates. In a real debate, a single subject is chosen with two opposing sides, affirmative and negative, and a chairperson who enforces the rules.

Student handout 8.2: Rules for debating

Ok, I get it, these media events serve a purpose, they give us an opportunity to see and hear our candidate perform under pressure which, after all, is a primary requirement of the POTUS. The pressure of a TV produced media event is not the same as political reality. Some candidates are skilled TV actors while others are skilled politicians.

The notion of using the word politician in the pejorative sense is ridiculous. Politics is a profession, and politicians are the practitioners. We love those who argue and maneuver for our position and disdain those who don't. Either way, we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater, Democracy requires debate and debate requires politicians.

If you think our politicians are useless, consider the two houses of the British Parliament and the rules of order at the Palace Of Westminster, their lack of decorum makes our Congress seem gentile by comparison.

So let's stop denigrating our politicians, welcome to the swamp Mr. President.

Comments

CHAOS REVISITED

" a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order." Isn't four years of this enough, seriously? The constant media drumbeat, TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP, dominating the headlines, the news shows, and our conversation. This did not happen by accident, this was a calculated strategy by a certified narcissist. "Narcissism: a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others." The Trump supporters say that "this is just Trump being Trump" that, my friends, is precisely the problem. Now that he's lost the election and his sycophants in Congress have replaced their horns with silence, if not acceptance, wouldn't you think the man would suck it up, acknowledge the inevitable, exhibit a modicum of humility and devise an exit strategy that would highlight his accomplishments not feed his addi...

SILENCE IS APPROVAL~Jewish Meme

How often do we learn something awful, clam up, and ignore it, hoping it will go away. It never does, it just gets worse and our silence becomes its enabler. Life is like that, we don't want to get involved. We have enough to worry about and ignorance, after all, is bliss. Wrong, ignorance is acceptance. The easy analogy is governance. We sit in a management meeting or a board of directors where we become aware of something nefarious and keep silent for fear of being disloyal. To speak up takes courage and courage has consequences. When a whistleblower comes forward they are vilified, they become the victim of power and power corrupts. We've seen this in Washington for years, management teams being selected for their weakness rather than their strength. Weakness breeds indecision and silence, strength breeds courage. A new administration always starts with a ray of hope that the management team, aka the cabinet, will be outspoken and advise and consent with courage, no...

A NEW NORMAL, OR IS IT?

The more things change, the more they stay the same, “plus ça change , plus c'est la même chose “ – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849 COVID-19 is raging across the country, case counts are setting new records day after day with deaths a lagging indicator. President-Elect Joe Biden is on course to put the nation's health #1 on his agenda with the appointment of a new commission to advise him on mitigation and containment strategy. Joe knows he's not a medical expert, much less a trained scientist, COVID is not a political issue it's a national health issue, it's an economic issue, it's a jobs issue. An election will not control COVID-19, science and leadership will. We'll have a new administration but the same problem, what's needed is public acceptance of a strategy driven by science and common sense. "Ah, is it just me or does anybody see The new improved tomorrow isn't what it used to be Yesterday keeps comin' 'round, it's just...

Search This Blog