Tag: Debates

• 2020 Presidential Debate #1

  Did you watch the debate last night? Of course, you didn’t. At least you didn’t if you were smart, unlike me. But even if you watched the debate, the obvious conclusion was no debate actually took place. I rarely swear on this blog, but what a shitshow. The 2016 Clinton-Trump presidential debates were really bad…

  Mark

  September 30, 2020

  Politics 2020

  Debates, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Joe Biden

• 2016 Presidential Debate #3

  Generally I look forward to presidential debates. They only happen every four years, they matter tremendously and you get to see candidates confront one another and try to respond coherently to questions live in front of millions. It’s very high stakes stuff and excellent theater. Not this year. The first debate made me nervous. The…

  Mark

  October 20, 2016

  Politics 2016

  Chris Wallace, Debates, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Hillary Clinton

• 2016 Presidential Debate #1

  I won’t lie and claim I wasn’t nervous about yesterday’s first presidential debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Perhaps on some level I believed that Trump could pull a Houdini act: act reasonably, look professional and presidential, and sound informed. Granted that it had never happened before but in the…

  Mark

  September 27, 2016

  Politics 2016

  Bullies, Debates, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Hillary Clinton

• The last debate

  It’s probably a good thing that most Americans are geography impaired. Many Americans cannot tell you what their neighboring states are, let alone pick out Iran or Syria on a globe. Mitt Romney seems to fall into this category as well, since during yesterday’s presidential debate he came up with the preposterous claim that Iran…

  Mark

  October 23, 2012

  Politics 2012

  Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Debates, Election 2012, Foreign policy, Iran, Mitt Romney

• The second debate

  As a political junkie, I confess that I watch presidential debates not so much to learn what candidates believe on a variety of issues (which, of course, I already know) but for their pure entertainment value. Arguably, presidential debates are primarily theater. Unlike theater these debates can have real world consequences: the acquisition of power.…

  Mark

  October 17, 2012

  Politics 2012

  Barack Obama, Debates, Election 2012, Mitt Romney

• The vice presidential debate

  I don’t know whether to applaud or feel appalled. Maybe it’s okay to do both. I spent much of this debate with my jaw agape as Vice President Joe Biden did everything to get attention but take off his shoe and bang it on his desk, a la Nikita Khrushchev. Whereas Barack Obama was unfailingly…

  Mark

  October 13, 2012

  Politics 2012

  Barack Obama, Debates, Economy, Election 2012, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, Satan

• The first debate

  It’s not October in a presidential election year without a number of presidential debates. Therein we largely–already-decided-voters get to watch the candidates jostle and parry with each other on national TV. The talking heads go into overdrive. Who won? Who lost? Why? What does it mean? What it mostly means is not a whole lot.…

  Mark

  October 5, 2012

  Politics 2012

  Barack Obama, Debates, Election 2012, Horse Dressage, Mitt Romney, Ronald Reagan