I have to admit that last night was pretty horrible for me. First I had to decide if I wanted to watch the so-called debates over on Fox News, or if I would prefer watching a British Murder TV Show called “Midsomer Murders.” But, since I do write political commentary, I figured I needed to watch the debates.
I was actually shocked to discover that the “kiddie debate” was only scheduled to last one hour. So, I had something to eat and sat down for some indigestion. Yes, I did eat before the first debate. I needed something in my stomach in case I needed to reach for the barf bag.
From the very beginning I became aware that these were not debates. They were Fox News Party trimming sessions. Fox News was going to use the “debates” as a means to show which candidates they favor and which ones they think should sit it out.
I almost had a deliverance from torture before the second “debate.” I have satellite TV. We had several huge thunderstorms hit our area and I lost the signal for quite a while. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t be able to watch the second debate at all. If I had been religious, I might have thought God didn’t want our area to watch the debates. But, just in the nick-of-time the storms passed and the signal came back.
So, I grabbed my barf bag and a bottle of wine and sat back to watch the spectacle. To say I was disappointed is a vast understatement. As I had learned in the first debate, Fox News was using this television event as nothing more that a publicity stunt for their network. They also had every intention to make certain candidates either look bad or insignificant.
To me, nothing came out of the debates of any consequence. We learned what we already knew going in. All of the candidates hate President Obama. They all hate Planned Parenthood. They all hate Muslims. They all hate the Affordable Care Act. They all hate things like Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, SNAP, etc. They all believe that the American People are lazy loafers who would rather take a government check than actually work for a living at poverty wages. They all hate the Iran Deal.
We also learned that the vast majority is in favor of a war. It doesn’t matter if that war is in Iraq, Iran, Syria, or Afghanistan. Just so long as there is a war somewhere against those Muslims. They are all in favor of a tax code that makes everyone but the top 1% pay more in taxes. Yet they call it a “tax cut” or “fair tax plan.” All but one love the idea that the average person should be armed to the teeth everywhere they go. Yet, unexplainedly, they held their “debate” in a “gun free zone” and no one was allowed in with a gun.
I am also amazed that some “pundits” actually believe there were winners and losers during the debates. I guess they are entitled to their opinion, but from what I saw the only winner was Fox News. Last night we did learn one thing very clearly. Fox News has total control of the former Republican Party. They will set the agenda for their party. If they don’t like you, you are in trouble.
The so-called “moderators” set the tone of the debates and picked all of the subject matter. The questions were so “front-loaded” with subliminal messages, some not so subliminal, that the question took four times longer to ask than they gave the “debaters” time to answer.
They took pleasure in trying to put an unfavorable light on people like Donald Trump and Rand Paul. Two people Fox News does not want front and center of their new party. As anticipated, Megyn Kelly was chosen to specifically go after Trump. He even whined about it after the debate was over.
Fox News took great pleasure in trying to make Rand Paul out to be anything but a conservative. They front loaded questions to other participants with negative Paul comments they had no choice but agree that Paul is not a conservative.
The greatest slam went to Dr. Ben Carson. He got the least amount of air-time of any of the candidates. It got to a point where even he thought he was being ignored. It was obvious to me that Fox News has no intention of letting him be front and center of their party either.
The questions were anything but pointed. They were very leading and very deliberate in getting a response Fox News wanted to get. Oh, they brought up the “religious liberty” meme, but only when it comes to Christians. According to Fox News and all of the candidates, it is perfectly legitimate to discriminate against someone who is “not a Christian.” You can refuse service to gay weddings for example, if you just say you don’t believe in same-sex marriage on “religious” grounds.
However, if you are Muslim, Fox News and all of the candidates believe the FBI and NSA should be able to bug your Mosque. After all, since you are a Muslim, you are also obviously a terrorist. Therefore, we need to keep tabs on you and arrest you if you even suggest something is wrong with America during your services. That is the very definition of the Conservative Christian idea of “religious liberty.”
The one question that really freaked me out was the last one. They actually asked if anyone had heard from “God” about what to do if they win the election. Really??????? I don’t know about you, but the last person I want sitting in the Oval Office during times of crisis is someone hearing voices in his head! To use their own argument, how do we know that the voice in their head is really god’s and not the devil’s?
Last night was a perfect example of how NOT to run a “debate.” They were not debates. There was nothing of substance that came from them except whom Fox News favors and whom they hate. If that is how these “debates” are going to be going forward, I suggest they don’t hold anymore. Fox News can just let their talking heads pick out the winner and anoint him the candidate for their party.
Around 11 PM Eastern time the travesty was finally over. I sat there on my couch for a while after the proceedings wondering just what the hell that was all about. It was a total waste of time for anyone to sit through that three hours of agony. It was a good thing I had my wine to go with the debate. Although I drank more of it after the debate than I did during it. But, it helped me sleep better when I finally went to bed.
If you really are wondering my thoughts on who won and lost during last night’s debates, I believe that the only winner was Fox News. They got their chance to sully those candidates they don’t want around anymore, and set the next “platform” for their new party. Plus, they probably got record ratings for the time slot.
The only losers during the debates were the American People. After having to sit through two shams we got nothing new. We got nothing of substance. We only got 60 second sound bites after 4 minutes of reading a question designed by Fox News to weed out those they don’t like.
If one of these “participants” actually win the election, Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes will be the real power behind the White House. That is scary all by itself. To borrow a phrase from those participants, “God Help Us!”
