Dump debates

I haven’t watched any of the debates – and I haven’t commented on many of them here. People who know me, know that I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy and that’s why debates never interested me. It all seemed like theater – theater forced on us by the networks who are convinced that they put John Kennedy in office after his debate with Richard Nixon.

Abe Lincoln never campaigned or debated for his office (the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates were two years before his election to the Presidency). People just knew his position on issues – which is why, without having said a word about slavery, or his intentions as President, the South made plans to secede while he was taking the train from his Illinois home, where he spent the election season, to his Inauguration. It’s also the reason why my fellow Marylanders plotted his assassination before the inauguration and he had to sneak through the State to Washington.

Well, enough of the history lesson. The reason I bring all of this up is that stupid crap that happened last night at the Republican CNN/YouTube debate. If ever there was proof that we’re being manipulated by the media, it happened last night.

Michele Malkin is STILL uncovering plants;

Welcome to Horticulture Journalism 101. (Keep scrolling down for new updates to this handy CNN/YouTube illustrated plant guide.)

So far, I count eight Democrat operatives from various Democrat campaigns. In addition to Michele, there’s Powerline, Powerline and Powerline, Hot Air, Patrick Ruffini, Glenn Reynolds, Gateway Pundit, Wizbang,JasonColeman, and another JasonColeman.

Joe Scarborough says it’s “total crap” that CNN didn’t know these were plants according to Newsbuster’s Mark Finkelstein. Vivian Lee, also at Newsbusters, writes that CNN, which chose the YouTube videos, chastised the candidates for not answering any questions about healthcare – a subject for which CNN chose no questions;

And shame on them for actually answering the questions they were asked instead of drifting off topic and discussing other things.

Well, my whole point, I guess, is that we should dump these debates, for no other reason than that they are so carefully scripted by the candidates as well as the media, debates are useless now. It’s just an opportunity for candidates to make a four or five word sound bite that’ll propel them over the heads of the others – for one night.

Then again, the malfeasance of the networks, the candidates and the questioners at these debates provide employment opportunities for thousands of super-attentive bloggers, apparently.

Category: Media, Politics, Society