Go Team!
Muhlenberg Weekly Executive Board
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: Op/Ed
Grab the popcorn, the remote, and while you're at it, might as well grab a big foam finger…the debates have started. Who's going to win, will it be Team Red? Cue cheers and boos. Or, will it be Team Blue? Cue cheers and boos. The whistle blows, and they're off.
Is it just us or are the debates vaguely reminiscent of some sort of political Superbowl? Or maybe to be more accurate, a really well-televised tennis match, where the candidates go back and forth, back and forth. The problem is that damn net, also known as Moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS.
Obama and McCain seemed to both be hitting the net time and time again, and were given a second chance. Whoops, double fault. Both were repeatedly asked to actually answer the questions, which apparently is harder than it sounds. Lehrer asked them to direct their comments to each other, but after a brief moment of connection between the candidates, it was back to speaking to Lehrer, or at least the camera in Obama's case.
The presidential debate was exciting at points, frustrating at others, and overall left us wondering what was really said. McCain's trips down Memory Lane led our minds to our grocery lists. His story about the bracelet he wears, while touching, led to Obama's low point, in our humble opinion. "I have a bracelet too!" was Obama's well-formulated response. Oh dear. That definitely was not a slam dunk back in McCain's face, more of a technical, and embarrassing, foul.
The question remains, who won the presidential debate? Ask a Republican, we bet he'll say McCain. Ask a Democrat, we bet he'll say Obama. Because our team simply cannot lose. When a referee makes a call, it is only a good call if it benefits our team, otherwise the ref is blind. Are we really listening to what is being said, or have we already decided who has "won" before the game has even been played?
We think the latter, perhaps because not as many people watched the presidential debates as was expected. Why? Because they don't care what was said as long as their team wins. Fun fact though, the upcoming vice presidential debates are creating twice the hype as the presidential debates. Hype is good, but we feel that this time at least it was way, way off base. It is sure to be an exciting match-up, but let's not think the game is over before the final whistle blows.
Is it just us or are the debates vaguely reminiscent of some sort of political Superbowl? Or maybe to be more accurate, a really well-televised tennis match, where the candidates go back and forth, back and forth. The problem is that damn net, also known as Moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS.
Obama and McCain seemed to both be hitting the net time and time again, and were given a second chance. Whoops, double fault. Both were repeatedly asked to actually answer the questions, which apparently is harder than it sounds. Lehrer asked them to direct their comments to each other, but after a brief moment of connection between the candidates, it was back to speaking to Lehrer, or at least the camera in Obama's case.
The presidential debate was exciting at points, frustrating at others, and overall left us wondering what was really said. McCain's trips down Memory Lane led our minds to our grocery lists. His story about the bracelet he wears, while touching, led to Obama's low point, in our humble opinion. "I have a bracelet too!" was Obama's well-formulated response. Oh dear. That definitely was not a slam dunk back in McCain's face, more of a technical, and embarrassing, foul.
The question remains, who won the presidential debate? Ask a Republican, we bet he'll say McCain. Ask a Democrat, we bet he'll say Obama. Because our team simply cannot lose. When a referee makes a call, it is only a good call if it benefits our team, otherwise the ref is blind. Are we really listening to what is being said, or have we already decided who has "won" before the game has even been played?
We think the latter, perhaps because not as many people watched the presidential debates as was expected. Why? Because they don't care what was said as long as their team wins. Fun fact though, the upcoming vice presidential debates are creating twice the hype as the presidential debates. Hype is good, but we feel that this time at least it was way, way off base. It is sure to be an exciting match-up, but let's not think the game is over before the final whistle blows.