October 17, 2012
Could we pause for a moment?
Millions if not billions have been spent to persuade voters one way or the other. Incredible efforts to suppress votes, court cases at every turn--even the "Scalia 5" woke up long enough to tell Ohio's secretary of state to cool it.
Just when we thought we had a handle on the process of electing the president, a new wrinkle! The private corporation that runs the debates got an idea. How about having undecided citizens ask questions of the two candidates? Obviously a dumb idea--who could be undecided now? Are they cave-dwellers? Is English their first language? Do they have (check all) a TV, a computer, or a radio? Are they like Sarah Palin who, when asked which papers she reads responded, "All of them."
Suppose you had raised and spent a billion dollars to elect your candidate. Would it occur to you to find out, in advance, the nature of the questions? Pardon my cynicism.
I tried to watch closely and I learned that the cave people were given the questions in advance. With all the solemnity of high mass on Easter, we were told that Candy and the cave dwellers had the questions. But not the candidates or staff. "Yah, Ole, looks clean to me."
One of the pre-game discussions focused on a 21-page negotiated list of dos and don'ts. But, low and behold, the private commission on presidential Tom-foolery decided just minutes before kick-off to permit Candy to ask follow up questions. Who asked? Who decided? Who were the negotiators?
Now, let me say that she was as good as it gets. She was not overwhelmed by the gravity of her task, she wasn't deferential to Romney or the President. She did a hell of a job and the questions asked were pretty good. Was that dumb luck?
Let us resolve to alter this broken system after November 6.
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I posted my comments about the debate here immediately after it ended.
http://www.fightingbob.com/weblog.cfm?postID=4573
How we have fallen....
-John Davey | Kendall, WI | October 17, 2012
Hmmm. Guess you didn't read all 21 pages of the MOU. The questions were created and submitted to Crawley in writing by those who wished to be questioners, Crawley selected the ones to be asked, and gave the written versions back to the ones selected. They were bound by the rules to ask exactly the question they had submitted with no additions or deletions. They weren't "given to them".
That said, the debate process is ridiculous and should be returned to the LWV. The networks and campaigns have gotten w-a-y too much control.
-WisDem | Madison, WI | October 17, 2012
The bigger question is why there are no third party candidates are "allowed" to participate? Jill Stein is polling at 3%, Gary Johnson at 1-2%. Not only are the Koch's and all the other special interest groups trying to control speech, but the Demothugs and Republothugs are as well. A pax on both their parties!
-Jeff Ehlers | Cedarburg, WI | October 17, 2012
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