I sat at the bar in my usual pub on Friday night and I watched the presidential debate. Since I WAS in a pub, I couldn’t hear what the candidates were saying. I could only try to make out how the debate was progressing by the audience tracking graph at the bottom of the screen, the scorecards of eight political analysts that framed the faces of these two men, and the poor closed caption transcription that flew across the top of the tele like the shinkansen bullet trains in Japan.
I attempted to keep up with the debate as long as I could, but quickly became frustrated, turning back to my gin and tonics. Two thoughts stuck with me despite my disgust.
The first was something my high school AP US History teacher taught us. He had described to us the setting for the 1960 debates between JFK and Richard Nixon. At that time, the tele was first being utilized to broadcast these debates. But not everyone had the tube. And what was witnessed was a split in public opinion regarding who won those debates. Those who listened to the debates on the radio believed that Nixon had clearly won. Those who watched them on television believed that Kennedy pulled out the victories as they saw his cool and handsome demeanor overshadow the sweaty and nervous looking Nixon. I’m sure the same could be said about the debate that was held on Friday night.
The second thought that stuck with me was the need for the news broadcasters to post crowd reactions and political analyst scorecards on the screen during the debate. The media, hopefully, performed their due diligence when selecting the analysts. Let’s face it. This country is full of sheep and social leeches. If someone on TV says its good, it must be good. I mean, I can’t control the outcome of the election. I can’t even say I know for whom I will be voting. But I’d like to think that it will be with my heart and my mind and not because I want to agree with the audience and the analysts.
I’m still listening and watching. I’m gathering data and will decide on my choice before E-Day. If by some chance, I cannot make the decision between the Democrat and the Republican, I may just as well write in the Russian-born leader that I’ve come to love and respect…
Alex Ovechkin courtesy of ESPN the Magazine
Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Kennedy vs. Nixon, Presidential Election, Radio, Television
