The Debates — Page 3

Next week's presidential debate will be a virtual townhall. Trump is refusing to participate because this format is a waste of his time.

Kamala did well. Pence is a much better politician than Trump (he's an actual adult), but his robotic puppet show for his boss didn't really help. He didn't answer questions, he lied about their response to the pandemic, and he refused to admit climate change was real. Kamala is intelligent, poised, would not allow him to steamroll her, and clearly stated what their platform was on many issues.

Biden is still in for the next debate. So, let him and Ms. Karris answer questions from the American people for 90 minutes. The other guy had a temper tantrum, Joe shouldn't be punished for that.

Updated On: 10/8/20 at 02:10 PM

I find it interesting that the three most widely watched veep debates in US history have been those which featured at least one woman in contention, e.g. Sarah Palin, Kamala Harris, and Geraldine Ferraro, in order of decreasing viewership. My minority opinion within my circle is that Kamala cleaned Mike Pence's clock, eye rolls, smirks, smize, and all. The fact that she allowed chunks of her own personality to emerge in a national debate was a refreshing change from the typical staid over stage-managed delivery often on display at that level. Another minority opinion of mine is that as a woman Kamala Harris was given license to roll her eyes, smirk, and smize, tactics which are for the most part verboten for male debaters in the US.

The point I'm trying to make is that men now are ostensibly as challenged when it comes to taking on women in the public square as women were constrained in the past by a school of thought which dictated that they act, style their names, and dress nearly like men to be taken seriously. Let's face it, Geraldine "Gerry" Ferraro was derided for not knowing her place; Sarah Palin lampooned as The Bimbo from Wasilla; and Kamala Harris excoriated by some on the right, especially the hetero WASP priesthood, for having the nerve to use a few of their deeply held stereotypes to her advantage.

What really got the goat of several men in my circle, all straight and over 60, was Nicole Wallace of MSNBC's description of Mike Pence's performance as flaccid. That was much more painful to them than Senator Harris not being deferential to VP Pence while he attempted to man-splain to moderator Susan Page and her in order to avoid answering any questions that would shine a bright light on the current administration's abject incompetence & corruption. It was not Senator Harris' role to answer questions posed by VP Pence. He was clearly auditioning for his next gig at the Heritage Foundation because the present one is nearly up, and in 2024 Nikki Haley will be the GOP's standard bearer, not Mike Pence, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, etc.

Updated On: 10/9/20 at 06:04 AM

Never suggested that sexism has been demolished. But there's no denying that men, especially straight men, have been forced to make major adjustments to their behavior towards women in the workplace and in plain sight of the public. #TimesUp and #MeToo have been very effective at bringing the plight of women to the fore. Unfortunately, several Wall Street fund managers have admitted on background that they'll simply stop recruiting women out of fear of accidentally crossing the line and facing litigation.

But, I'm not here to man-splain the different expectations for female and male debaters, at least not intentionally. Michele L. Norris has penned what I think is an insightful op-ed in WaPo here which explores the intersectionality that Senator Harris has forced some voters to confront. It bugs me somewhat that some of my non-black colleagues still take it upon themselves to sort out Barack Obama and her respective percentages instead of leaving each to self-identify as each sees fit.

Kamala has postponed in-person events until Monday after two persons associated with her campaign tested positive for Coronavirus. Joe's townhall is still scheduled for tonight. Best thoughts to all of them.

OMG the 60 minutes Trump interview was cringeworthy.

SmoothLover said: "OMG the 60 minutes Trump interview was cringeworthy."



I taped the interview, but I just yet haven't had the energy to watch it. Perhaps never.

Instead, this morning I listened to Joe Biden speak from Warm Springs, Georgia, where FDR had his "Little White House" and where he took treatment for polio. I recalled driving there with my mother when I was a sailor in the 1970's. FDR was her hero from the Great Depression and WWII, and she was overcome with emotion being in his home. Biden today evoked those same positive emotions of what we CAN be (and used to be) as a nation. Biden and Harris (and so many others) remind me that I take great pride in being a Democrat for the goodness and decency that the Party represents.

In the 60 minutes interview they filmed Trump with a very tight close up which made him seem like a monster that was right in your face. Biden was bathed under a warmer light with some distance which made him appear more relaxed and reflective.