Get a grip folks, & stop comparing the debate to a ball game

[Philosoraptor]

I don't follow sports, baseball, basket, foot, etc., but many of the pundits compare the presidential race and the debates to baseball games, with a winner and a loser and the inevitable disappointments when your 'team' loses the game, this is not a damn football game, this is politics.

Debates don't decide elections anyway, let's not make it more important than it really is. Besides, these aren't real Lincoln/Douglas debates anyway, I wish they were, these are just excercises in showing who the candidates are to the public, and they are largely ineffective.

Stop thinking about the debate as if it were organized sports with a clear winner and loser, but if you just can't think of politics in any other way than with a sports slant, then relax, there are two more so called debates.

Get a grip folks, all is not lost for Christ's sake. I think our man, the man I voted for yesterday, is getting another four years to work FOR the people, he's the better man, the right man for the job, and I believe in him, fuck the debate and fuck all the talking heads, and finally, fuck all the naysayers and fuck everyone who is dumping on the President, he needs us now, and God knows we need him.

[treestar]

1. Right on

And if there is a scoring mechanism for debates, if Mitt was lying, he has to lose points for that. And be disqualified for interrupting the moderator.

[Philosoraptor]

2. If he were flagged for lying...

There'd have been flags all over the floor at his feet.

[GaYellowDawg]

8. The problem is, there AREN'T flags for lying.

And most of the electorate doesn't know the facts like this board does. That means the President has to throw the flags, and he didn't.

[treestar]

12. Or the pundits could

Why do we put it all on the candidate? We sit by the sidelines. All Rmoney's lies could be viral by now. The campaign already has them up.

[msanthrope]

3. Party unity, work out asses off. The choice is clear. nt

[onethatcares]

4. if winning in politics were really like a game

then the repubs should have fallen in line with President Obamas plans

and we would be miles ahead of where we presently are.

Work for the best, expect the worst and vote Democratic.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Real sports have ties and draws

Football (real football, that is), cricket etc. (there's a difference between a tie and a draw in cricket; a tie is when both teams get exactly the same number of runs, which, since that's in the hundreds, is very rare; a draw is when you run out of time in a time-limited match, which generally means one team has been playing to force a draw towards the end).

[KharmaTrain]

6. Short Attention Span Theater...

Sad to say but politics has become a sport...a bloodsport. It's all about polls and whose right and who isn't...in our polarized times all issues are filtered through various prisms that always judge each event as being good or bad for the respective party or interest group. Every day we're bombarded with numbers as to how "popular" the President is or if you'd like to have a beer with him. It's all measured and manipulated because there's also a lot of money and egos playing this game.

On the substance level, as usual, Bishop Willard lacked specifics and flip-flopped all over the place but he "looked" Presidential...and that was the only expectation of him; survive the 90 minutes at room temperture and don't either schvitz like Nixon or gaffe like Ford. He didn't do either...thus a win. But it's a shallow one in this 24/7 media world where we'll be chasing the next bright shiny toy by the weekend. There were no memorable lines or revelations in this debate...and two more to follow. While I wish President Obama has been a touch more aggressive with Stench's lies, Willard left plenty of material out there to hammer him in debates ahead.

Bottom line is this was a partisan show. For Willard the stakes were the viability of his candidacy. He was able to "solidify" his base last night but that's not good enough.

[WinkyDink]

7. I think you should get a grip, considering your last sentence.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. Yeah? And if many in the general public view it as a game,

with winner take all, where does your high and mighty approach leave us?

[Philosoraptor]

10. Get a grip comrade

[ChairmanAgnostic]

11. On what?

Certainly not Romney. He is too oily and sly.