First Presidential Debate Oct. 3 2012: People’s Response
And now, the moment that many of you thought would never come!!! Oak, covering the Presidential Debate!!!
Seriously, never thought it would happen, but I did want to hear what folks on the ground are thinking about our present processes, and enough encouragement to deliver it was offered that I figured I should try this at least once, no?
So here goes…Enjoy!
This entry was posted on October 8, 2012 by oakritchie. It was filed under Baha'i, education, Media, politics, Religion, society and was tagged with action, advertising, Bahai, barack obama, big bird, Class, communication, community, conservative, debate, democrat, dialogue, Equality, family, first presidential debate, governance, government, institution, Justice, liberal, media, mitt romney, moving forward, Oak, october 3, PBS, politics, presidential debate, reflection, Religion, republican, Ritchie, sesame street, Society, soul, spirituality, steady flow, Tarheels, UNC, Unc chapel hill, unity, Wealth.
I don’t like political debates in general, because they’re not about the flow of ideas, but about “winning”. It shouldn’t matter who’s more forceful, or entertaining, or has the best one-liner. I do applaud Jim Leher for making the audience promise not to clap or cheer during the debate; that just cheapens what debates should be about.
That said, Romney, though he came across as pushy, did well in the debate. I did indeed come across with a better understanding and apreciation of Romney’s ideas. Still, the debates are just one aspect of the political race; it’s more important to keep up with their comments on actions throughout the election year (or years, in Obama’s case), rather than decide based on one 90 minute exchange. One’s mind shouldn’t be decided based on a debate with a two-minute time-limit as a format.
October 8, 2012 at 4:54 am
I hear you, David. What more useful mechanisms for choosing leadership come to mind for you?
October 8, 2012 at 12:55 pm
It was interesting to me, a “seasoned” citizen, to hear the reaction of young college students to the debate. I am gratified to learn that, for the most part, no one was fooled. Quite some time ago, before many of these folks were born, American politics changed from statesmanship to “sloganism”. I know that catchy slogans have always been part of our political campaign process, but they have now overtaken logical argument as the primary tool-set for persuasion.
October 8, 2012 at 3:43 pm
It’s interesting that the “youth” response focused so much on the so called big bird take away. Although that made news because it’s kind of funny and draws people’s attention, the point was obviously missed. The average voter should take away that PBS, which brings: the arts, social issues in forms like documentaries and yes..big bird to viewers would be cut under Romney. Big bird is important because in a lot of communities (the kinds where parents aren’t reading to kids etc..) this programming may be their only access to something educational. The same goes for the concerts/orchestras/plays etc..that air on PBS. To a person like Romney, cutting these programs won’t effect his life because his kids didn’t need big bird. They have access to everything. Gotta look at the bigger picture folks. Who’s looking out for the programs and policies that affect your life. Pell grants should concern students. It’s clear..Romney wants to cut, Obama doesn’t. Why does Romney want to cut it, because he thinks it’s unnecessary spending. If you’re anything like me, I relied on these things. That’s the difference. People should stop worrying about the show and how defensive people look or sound,
and just listen to the facts because they are out there.
October 8, 2012 at 8:08 pm
president obama knows what he is doing he is a smart black educated man and he doesn’t have to stoop to mitt’s lack of respect to get my vote.
October 11, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts, Frances!
The videos here spoke specifically about the debate format itself. Do you have any responses to the questions asked in the video?
October 11, 2012 at 5:04 pm
I really appreciate how this was executed. What I just saw was a group of young people asking questions about their nation’s leadership in a constructive and non-divisive way. They strayed away from saying who they were voting for or which party they prefer. They avoided backbiting. This was clearly an atmosphere in which they were able to express their opinions freely without feeling like they had to fit into a particular “box.” What is most important is to listen carefully and consider people’s opinions. We can all create this atmosphere when we’re talking with our friends, in classrooms, with our families, and at work. Let’s avoid divisive conversations that don’t bring about solutions. The more we model the ideals we believe in, the more these ideals will manifest in our societal environment.
much love!
October 16, 2012 at 1:04 am