Saturday, September 27, 2008

Debate Post Script

The debate format is essentially a new one (based on the West Wing live debate, meaning the debate committee is taking its cues from Aaron Sorkin. There will be snakes in the audience during the VP debate); one that is supposed to encourage the candidates to directly address each other over the points. Could be dramatic, could be cathartic, but you'd need two candidates able to a) look at each other, b) trust their knowledge of their talking points (as opposed to a script) and c) I don't know, not be someone volatile enough to lose it in front of a televised audience.

I like the idea behind the format, 4 minutes split between the candidates and 5 minutes of direct address; but enforcing it in reality tends to skew towards "who was the smoovest out there." Not exactly my cuppa.

Browsing through what the nattering nabob class is talking about, the results come back overwhelmingly pro-Obama, if a little too similar sounding. Check out the HuffPo for a decent sampling.

Except for one thing: Say what you will about us here at SEI, we are not Nora Ephron, at least.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"Say what you will about us here at SEI"
You're a bunch of pinko, commie, no talent hacks who need to get a life instead of jerking each other off on this blog.

Ooooooooorrrrrrrr was that not quite what you meant? :P

Yeah, the enforcement of the "rules" could have been better. Maybe Lehrer should have met them in the middle of the stage to go over the rules before sending them to their corners. Maybe then it would have been more like a bout than a bitchslapfest.