Sunday, July 27, 2008
The TV Effect
Thanks to a comment from prolific blogger friend Dustbury about my post on the Kennedy-Nixon debates and the effect of Nixon's discomfort that resulted in a sweaty upper lip, I've been thinking about the effect that television will have on this year's election. I wonder what impact it would have were we all suddenly required simply to listen to Obama and McCain without seeing them? I've tried listening with my eyes shut and I have to say that I don't like either of them that way. Obama sounds too rehearsed and McCain sounds too edgy. On the other hand, if how a candidate looks on television is irrelevant, presumably so are their tones of voice. I suppose what they write could be a valid measure of the men but there are ghostwriters these days and Obama is known to be more facile with the pen/keyboard anyway. I still don't know what one is supposed to use to measure and/or judge these two against each other.
Labels: 2008 election, current events, tv
Permalink | 
| posted by jau at 10:19 PM
jau — at 5:50 PM, July 28, 2008:
ligneus — at 10:07 PM, July 28, 2008:
ligneus — at 10:30 PM, July 28, 2008:
| posted by jau at 10:19 PM
5 more:
jau — at 5:50 PM, July 28, 2008:
I'm afraid the word "character" is too abstract for me. Is there any corrollation between good character and good judgment - in life or in the presidency? FDR and Wilson were strong but did they have good character? I know what character means in ordinary life, or at least some of what it means, but I'm not sure at all what it in a public official. And I'm not sure it matters (don't yell at me). McCain, for example, did some pretty awful things to his first wife which makes me question his character, but does that have any bearing on what kind of president he'd be? (I don't know.) GWB is, by all accounts, a kind and good husband and father, and he pulled himself away from alcohol, ergo a good character. Many would say he's been a bad president, however. (Not I, but others.) As for experience, what experience helps prepare for this job? Vice president, of course, but few have in fact become president. Common wisdom says being a soldier, but actually what has that got to do with it? Being a senator? Maybe, maybe not. Being a governor probably does since there's broad administrative responsibility, but we have none available this season.....
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ligneus — at 10:07 PM, July 28, 2008:
Ah I'm not really smart enough to answer this properly, but to take a concrete example, when the Vietcong offered McCain his freedom because they could make good publicity out of it and it would demoralize the other POW's, he refused because he knew that.
Obama sat in Trinity Church for twenty years and then tried to say he'd never heard Wright say those things that were on You Tube.
McCain, when it was political suicide, supported the surge, advocated it even.
Obama voted against it, tried to cut off funding for it, said it would and was making things worse, still says he would oppose it even now after we know it worked.
As for McCain's first marriage, I've learnt over the years to be very wary about judging what goes on in a marriage, what happens to it after his years away and his state of mind when he came back. He's certainly done better with his second.
So, character/judgement, might be a bit of a chicken/egg thing.
As for experience, it comes from having lived and having done things, Obama is simply too young to have amassed much and his resume is so thin as to be non existent. I wouldn't put him in charge of a chicken farm though if he had have held that position at least you could say he'd gained some experience!
Not much of a reply, this question needs Charles Krauthammer/
Obama sat in Trinity Church for twenty years and then tried to say he'd never heard Wright say those things that were on You Tube.
McCain, when it was political suicide, supported the surge, advocated it even.
Obama voted against it, tried to cut off funding for it, said it would and was making things worse, still says he would oppose it even now after we know it worked.
As for McCain's first marriage, I've learnt over the years to be very wary about judging what goes on in a marriage, what happens to it after his years away and his state of mind when he came back. He's certainly done better with his second.
So, character/judgement, might be a bit of a chicken/egg thing.
As for experience, it comes from having lived and having done things, Obama is simply too young to have amassed much and his resume is so thin as to be non existent. I wouldn't put him in charge of a chicken farm though if he had have held that position at least you could say he'd gained some experience!
Not much of a reply, this question needs Charles Krauthammer/
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ligneus — at 10:30 PM, July 28, 2008:
PS. I'm sure you've read much on Obama and the surge, but here's a good article from Commentary Magazine.
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