The French-language debates were held in Canada last night...and it was a bloodbath.
It's a damn shame we can't have our debates this way. It would cut through all the hemming, hawing, and pandering if we just had Obama, McCain, and a moderator.
It's even more fun in Canada, because there are 5 parties (The Liberals, The Conservatives, the Bloc Quebecois, The NDP, and now The Greens) duking it out, and they have to do it in two languages.
Wouldn't it be hilarious to hear Mr. Nice & Obama go head to head in Spanish?
Not just that, but wouldn't it actually be pleasant to just have a simple debate without a live audience and a million cameras to play to? (Like we did in 2004.)
Advantage: Canada.
2 comments:
the first presidential debate last friday was comprised of just obama, mccain and a moderator (jim lehrer).
also, tonight's vice-presidential debate will have just the candidates (biden and palin) and a moderator (gwen ifill).
granted, the second presidential debate next tuesday will be in a town hall format.
but the third presidential debate will also be comprised of just obama, mccain and a moderator (bob schieffer) -- though they will be sitting down at a table instead of standing behind a lectern, as they were in the first presidential debate.
so, except for the bi-lingual aspect, the u.s. presidential debates aren't all that different from the canuck version.
True, but the tone is remarkably different. The US Presidential debates (although I would personally extend it to most US political debates) are mostly rhetoric and presentation, where issues fall by the wayside in the race to appear likeable. Perhaps in pre-media days, there actually was discussion.
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