09 October 2016

Appalling

I've turned off the "debate." Neither candidate has any bloody respect for the voters. Both candidates have egregiously failed to answer questions put to them... from the very first question. They were both asked by a black woman the entirely reasonable question of whether they were modelling appropriate behavior and language for the children assigned to watch these debates for school. One candidate spent 17-19 seconds of the two-minute answer addressing that, in very mealymouthed ways without admitting any fault. The other candidate spent even less time on the question. Both candidates had campaign speeches on BS economic and not-so-disguised class-warfare stuff that they wanted to lead off with, but got an easily anticipated question about their conduct. Both failed to answer the question actually put to them. Not just failed... refused. And the moderators are letting them get away with it.

Refusing to answer the question doesn't look very "Presidential."

My college gymnasium deserves better than this crap. Back to the bloody football game, where at least there's an attempt to play within the rules and the players get penalized for not doing so. Perhaps if the moderators had the ability to take speaking time away based on misconduct — and did so — some of this would stop. Instead, they're bloody 1980s regional-telly presenters on Anglia TV, unable to deviate from the script for fear of being fired... and the script was written months ago by some party hack (regardless of party).

The candidates get an F. The so-called "Debate Commission" gets an F. The moderators get an "Incomplete." And as of right now, I'm an "undecided voter" because I can't in good conscience vote in favor of any of the declared candidates... only against them. So the political apparatus also gets an F. That's an insult to every veteran, because we've put our butts on the line for the right to vote all the way back to the 1770s.