"Debatable" by Fly on the Wall | The Pilot: Southern Pines, NC

Debatable

October 4, 2012

Last night's first presidential debate ratified several predictions I made in an op-ed piece published Oct. 3: Both men would wear dark suits and white shirts. Romney capitulated to the red power tie. And Pres. Obama was so fatigued from his day job that he practically phoned in his answers. What I forgot to mention was this country's inability to find a better campaign model than spending hundreds of millions on confetti-and-balloon events, private jets, dramatic TV ads et al. We have term limits and certain campaign regulations. We need more. In the beginning, only landowners could vote. Then only men. Finally, women defeated disenfranchisement but minorities are still struggling. If the U.S. electorate accomplished all this, surely they can come up with better ways to get the candidates' messages out than hoopla and nitpicking. Because by now everything's been said, muddled over, obfuscated. I didn't come away from the debate with any clearer picture of tax and Medicare propsals that beforehand. I need a chart or a PowerPoint, facts or the truth. Nobody speaks the truth without a self-serving spin. Very worrisome, also, than an election can be decided on a candidate's demeanor or how many hours he spent debate-training. That said, whatever Mitt Romney was drinking last night, fix me a double.

skylinefirepest 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Hey Deb, Obama probably would have fared better had he actually phoned in his answers...then they might not have been so rambling and dis-jointed. But he shoul not be tired from his day job...only from trying to remember which lie he told when!!

MikeNC 7 months, 2 weeks ago

...."Very worrisome, also, than an election can be decided on a candidate's demeanor or how many hours he spent debate-training"

Do you want the definition of worrisome Deb? Then please explain the process of how the winner of the presidential election in 2008 was decided upon...Mike

geoffcutler 7 months, 2 weeks ago

"Finally, women defeated disenfranchisement but minorities are still struggling."

Minorities are still struggling to vote? How so?.

geoffcutler 7 months, 1 week ago

Hello...Deb, are you out there? I thought blogs were where someone wrote something for discussion and then discussed it. Must be mistaken, which wouldn't surprise me, since I don't get half of what goes on today where technology and communication are concerned.