“Pre-Game Warm-Up - The Great Debate Tonite”
Joe Sullivan,Layers_Of_Truth
This morning, at the expense of dating myself, I‘m thinking about when I was a youngster back when John F. Kennedy ran against Richard M. Nixon leading up to the 1960 Presidential Election. Nixon was then the Vice President in Eisenhower’s administration. Kennedy was a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.
Both men were respected for their past accomplishments. Both men had prevailed in winning their respective party’s nominations. The 3 major networks ABC, CBS and NBC had discussed their political differences in ways that were factually fair and correct - but (in those days) the networks didn’t engage in using language that minimized the character of the candidates. The networks reported the pre-debate “news” in generally neutral terms…
The Kennedy-Nixon Debate was the first Presidential Debate to be televised. However, most American families did not have televisions and the majority listened on the radio. After the debate, the majority who listened thought that Nixon had won - but the majority of those who watched thought that Kennedy had won…. The media commentators pointed out that while Kennedy looked “tanned and rested”, Nixon looked “pale and nervous”…
In my opinion, this was the beginning of an unfortunate trend in American politics where the way candidates “look” on television became increasingly more important than what they actually “said” or “stood for”. Increasingly over time, “ISSUES” gradually became less important than “PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES” and “SOUND BYTES” - both of which are media inventions… just like selling “soap” in commercials.
Similarly, Presidential Debates have devolved since the “Age of Television” began. In 1960, the two candidates stood at podiums and answered questions from Howard K. Smith of ABC News. They listened quietly and respectfully while their opponent spoke and were then given an opportunity to respond. It was all appropriate and dignified…
Modern debates from recent elections have been characterized by occasional interruptions and sarcasm - as well as facial gestures while the opponent is speaking. These are strategies intended to intimidate the opponent and break their concentration while they’re speaking…. None of these strategies would work unless the debates were televised….
On that point - it is now the case that the journalists who conduct the questioning are now considered “media personalities” in their own right who have risen to national prominence over many years. Consequently, they conduct the questioning by instilling their own attitudes toward the candidates. In that way - they make themselves part of the coverage. Often, these same “personalities” have clashed with the candidates in previous interviews or otherwise revealed their own bias for the individual candidates. Some of these media “types” have previously served in government before joining the media. In one infamous case, such a person was Donna Brazille - who actually gave the list of questions to candidate Hillary Clinton before the debate!
Modern Presidential Debates are essentially a media-driven production where each campaign looks to install aspects of their appearance or their opponent’s persona to gain their own advantage on camera. The questions asked are often dodged as the candidates try to use “talking points” to send a separate message to the audience. When the opponent is given time to respond or rebut - they often use their time to underscore their own “talking points”…
Frankly, these “media events” are no longer “real debates” - and the public interest is now poorly served…
IN CONCLUSION… Don’t expect anything truly significant from tonite’s debate. Both candidates have a strategy going in and both of them will follow the “script” that they and their handlers have practiced. I expect that because of the extraordinary influence of media commentators the public perception of the candidates BEFORE the debate will be reinforced AFTERWARD.
WITH THAT SAID…. I believe that PRESIDENT TRUMP will surprise many tonite by focusing on his PLANS for how his administration will address the future. Those who expect him to attack Kamala Harris personally will be generally disappointed. Kamala Harris will try to avoid accounting for her record with Biden and try instead to engage in her plans to “tax the rich” to pay for the needs of the “under-served” in American society. In that way she will be running on ENVY and CLASS WARFARE…
President Trump will give undecided voters something to vote FOR while Harris will reveal that the future will largely be “MORE OF THE SAME” if she’s elected.
As President Lincoln said: “You can fool ALL of the people SOME of the time; you can fool SOME of the people ALL of the time - but you can’t fool ALL of the people ALL of the time.”
God Bless You God Bless America
America is STILL the Hope of the World!
VOTE!
