15 January 2020 — 0306 mst
Why I turned off last night’s Democratic debate
Turning off last night’s Democratic debate was a turning point for me. Starting with the Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960, I’ve watched virtually every presidential debate held. But last night’s debacle in Des Moines was more than I could take.
Moderators Wolf Blitzer and Abby Phillips of CNN, and Brianne Pfannenstiel of the Des Moines Register, did not attempt to ask questions that illuminated the issues for the voters. Instead, they tried to instigate bar fights between the candidates because the resulting fireworks made for great television: all emotion and no substance.
That was bad enough. Worse was having on stage three septuagenarians, a billionaire in his sixties with no political experience, an under 40 mayor of a rinky-dink college town, and a three-term senator who delivered GOP talking points on health care. Blame that on Tony Perez and the Democratic National Committee’s debate qualification rules that subordinate governing experience to popularity and fundraising prowess.
Writing in the Washington Post the day before the debate, Matt Bai observed:
If you’re going to choose your field based on polling and fundraising data, turning presidential politics into a fantasy football league, then you should create a third metric to recognize service in statewide or federal office. It’s insane to create a process where voters get the chance to hear from billionaire Tom Steyer, who talks like an audible encyclopedia of every political cliche from the past 20 years, but not from the likes of [Deval] Patrick or Sen. Michael F. Bennett (Colo.), who’ve actually won multiple elections and governed. Especially when you hold yourself out as the party that values public service.
At some point, a transcript of the debate will become available. After a slug or two of bourbon, I’ll read it. And then I’ll probably need another slug or two.