Comments on: The Debate Circus

By: Alex Caswell

Alex Caswell — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:35:22 +0000

I’ll think what I’ll do instead is learn what each president has actually done and then use that to inform my voting, and concern myself with evidence and arguments that I can find from each candidate next term. However, as you noted in the post, the debates themselves don’t actually seem to serve much of a purpose.

By: Brian D. Buckley

Brian D. Buckley — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:42:16 +0000

Yeah, I think a lot of people believe that as long as they vote, they’re doing their part for democracy. In my opinion, uninformed voting is worse than not voting at all. The shorter our attention spans get, the more the whole system breaks down.

As for watching the debates – don’t forget that you’ll be eligible to vote at the end of the next Presidential term, so anything you glean from the debates now could give you valuable context for understanding what you see in the future. Though the debates may not mean much in the way of substance, they do matter in a political sense. Just a thought – it’s up to you, of course.

By: Brian D. Buckley

Brian D. Buckley — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:37:40 +0000

I’m not quite so cynical as to think the candidates have no real positions, but I agree that they face strong incentives not to get specific about what those positions are. They’re also forced to choreograph their events because any imperfection gets picked apart. Americans want leaders who are “real,” but when a candidate actually lets down his guard, they tear him apart.

I don’t have a strong opinion on the two-party system vs. more, smaller parties, but I do think election finance is in dire need of reform. The sheer quantity of anonymous cash that a single private citizen can pump into a campaign is just breathtaking, even compared to four years ago.

Thanks for the comment, Zeev. Good to hear from you as always.

By: Alex Caswell

Alex Caswell — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:27:47 +0000

I actually agree quite a bit with Zeev. America’s current dual party system just doesn’t work with the spirit of democracy very well any more. It’s nearly impossible to evaluate what president is the right one for the country, and so most of the election process has become meaningless. Also, as brilliantly designed as this country’s first laws and principles were, they rely on the people being intelligent, and also being able to think independently. This is one of my primary concerns for the future of america-lack of free thought. Because although there are a huge lists of problems that plague america, this is one of the top 5 that should take priority for being fixed.
Well, that’s enough nerd talk for now. Not planning on watching the debates because I am only 14 and can’t vote anyway, and I can’t influence anyone else to vote for one candidate or the other very much anyway, so I don’t see a point.

By: Zeev

Zeev — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:22:09 +0000

I agree with you. The debates, and in fact most interactions with the candidates are nothing more than a well choreographed circus for our amusement. No one has actual positions anymore, both candidates are trying to “capture” certain demographics with each of their statement.

No concrete solutions to problems are proposed, because then those solutions could be picked apart and used against them in out of context political advertising. So all we get to hear are generic phrases like “putting Americans back to work”, “bringing jobs home”, and “securing our nation’s future.”

I’ve become disgusted with the two party system in place in America. I would much rather have multiple smaller parties that stood for concrete principles and could then form coalitions in congress once elected. At least then if I vote for a candidate I would actually know what I’m voting for.
Also,Term limits are needed to prevent congressmen and senators from always working towards re-election instead of, actually attempting to pass needed legislation without thinking about how it would affect their chances in the upcoming election cycle..

Sorry for the rant.