2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumRachel: We saw this debate format die a slow death on camera tonight
She's right about that.
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)Love Chris Matthews "This was certainly not an MSNBC debate, huh?"
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)In previous debates a panel of media types asked questions of the candidates. Sometimes the questions were clearly biased with softballs to one and hardballs to the other. Here there were no questions, just topics and the candidates themselves went back and forth directly responding to each other.
On this one there can be no charges of media bias.
Best format I have ever seen, and I am old enough to remember the Nixon-Kennedy debates. Dad watched them on TV.
Jeff In Milwaukee
(13,992 posts)It was formless, and in this case, the moderator allowed Romney to completely take over.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)Some media type asked him how he would feel if his wife were raped. What kind of question was that? Over the years I have heard a bunch of really stupid questions.
With the candidate directly adressing each other was a much better format, altough a tougher moderator would be good.
Jeff In Milwaukee
(13,992 posts)Perhaps the format would have been good if the Moderator had been competent. This was just a two-man clusterf*ck.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)Cal33
(7,018 posts)because of some critical decision, and couldn't fall back asleep afterwards?
faithfulcitizen
(3,191 posts)Cal33
(7,018 posts)GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)I think he was expecting a weaker Romney. He won't make that mistake again. Unfortunately, the first debate is always the most important one. I always has the most viewers and sets the tone for the following debates.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Anything goes as long as you obviously the bullying berater instead of a debater.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)You have to be ready for anything your opponent may do. If you go in expecting your opponent to be a nice guy then you will lose.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Because guess what? You can be a really nice guy and lie your ass off. Cons do it all the time.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)magical thyme
(14,881 posts)He sounded the way I do when I've lost sleep too many nights in a row. Have a hard time connecting dots and articulating. All the caffeine in the world doesn't put you back together again. Good nights sleep and suddenly you're "on" again.
I don't think he was overconfident at all. I think he didn't know how to come back at a lying bully. That is a problem most decent people face, especially when you're exhausted.
Now he knows how much of a bully he's up against, he'll come back prepared to deal with a bully. It's a different world calling out a bully while remaining above the fray and not falling into the bully's trap of "did not. did too. did not. did too."
JHB
(37,161 posts)That was the first debate after the League of Women Voters disowned hosting the debates due to assorted demands from the candidates campaigns.
This was the time when "from the candidates campaigns" meant Lee Atwater, Roger Ailes, Floyd Brown etc.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)I just didn't feel like googling to get the details.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)Has a lot of potential.
But the moderator needs to have a bullwhip, just in case.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)Each person gets X time with a yellow light that tells them when they have 30 seconds left, then red for ten seconds. Then the mike goes dead and the other candidate gets his alloted time. During their time they can say anything they want to. At the end of a segment (Y turns each) then a topic is announced for the next segment. The candidates take turns going first.
Each candidate must stay behind their lecturn. Penalties for violating that rule. (Sorry, but Gore was wrong to leave his stool and go over and get in Bush's face.)
Each candidate searched first for hidden notes or recievers.
The moderator would not ask any questions of either candidate. He would simply state the rules and announce the topics.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)But seriously, you could have it all programmed, the questions, how long for each side, whose mike is on, all done by computer.
"Hello Americans, my name is HAL, and I will be your moderator tonight."
treestar
(82,383 posts)Or the moderator would have controlled the debate.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)It is not the moderator's job to challenge the truthfulness of either candidate. That is the candidate's jobs. If Obama can't handle Romney, how is he going to handle some international bad guys that make Romeny look like a creampuff and there is no moderator? Putin for example.
Obama is just going to have to come out swinging in the next two debates.