Wednesday, October 05, 2016

UNIVERSITY IS LONGWOOD BUT VEEP DEBATE LOUSY

Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia was the setting for the first and only 2016 Vice Presidential debate.   I was more than a little annoyed when the Republican candidate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, falsely called the institution Norwood.   Longwood University students, including a proud family member of mine, must have been impressed.   Longwood is an outstanding  university, but any school should, at the very least, be appreciatively  named correctly by guests on their campus.    The university deserves Pence's apology -- or just like his running mate is prone to do -- does Pence not apologize either?

I guess the name glitch was an honest mistake,  but this was the only university where Pence and the Democratic candidate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine would debate in this election.  Surely Pence could get the university name  fact correct, or maybe bothering with such details affecting ordinary people aren't that important to him.  Of course, Kaine had an unfair advantage since he was more familiar with his home state, plus he had even once been Governor of Virginia.  Unfairness is a theme the seed of which the Republican  Presidential candidate may be not so subtly planting as a potential possible accusation he'll unleash if he doesn't win this November election.  

I couldn't help thinking that Pence might have become infected with just saying whatever came to mind regardless of accuracy as his running mate is infamous for doing.    Pence continually having to defend all of his running mate's denials that he didn't say what he actually said, I can imagine  results in discerning fact from fiction becoming more than a little challenging. 

The candidates talking over each other angered me as that is not debate.   Let the speaker spout their mistruths, falsehoods, distortions -- then the opponent counters with the facts.   That's the purpose of rebuttal.   What's so difficult about doling that?   Difficulty occurs when the issue to be addressed is avoided and the subject is even changed which infuriates me, too.    Just cut off the sound on their microphones when they talk over each other,  ignore the moderator, or if they don't answer the question -- that's a penalty that will train them real fast.      

I get disgusted with name-calling and labeling, also, but that's a tactic used primarily at the higher presidential candidate level this election and mostly by Gov. Pence's running mate.   Let's cut that presidential candidate's microphone, too, when he pollutes the airways in that manner.  I know, easier said than done.

One of these two Veep  candidates will become only a heart beat away from the Presidency.  Though we can't vote separately for a Vice President, maybe we should give serious consideration to whether or not we would want a person in that vice-presidential position who willingly and so readily has been reinforcing his running mate's obvious falsehoods -- lies that even a child would recognize.  

15 comments:

  1. To me an honest mistake is not a big deal but deliberate distortions are. I don't want either of these candidates or should I say none of the four but I am going to be stuck with two of them. Kaine should have spent more time flouting his own credentials, if he has them, since the two Presidential candidates are both old and who is a veep matters a lot as to their competence to take over. I imagine Kaine was told to be an attack dog and all the interrupting wasn't really his natural rudeness but his instructions. One would hope since he might be the guy who ends up running things.

    Pence is just too far out there for me on the issues as an extreme right winger and to me this is all going to be about issues not a matter of liking either of them as I don't. Not only do I wish this election would hurry up and get here, my guess is the next four years will be unhappy ones for me no matter who the winner is as neither of them totally have issues with which I agree. :( Bummer of a year for moderates is all I can say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lots of good points, Rain. Unfortunately, I don't think Kaine put his best foot forward in this exchange since Pences own words would likely have revealed more of his shortcomings. Falsehoods said often enough are reported to be believed by a segment of people, so Kaine may have felt compelled to refute them immediately before listeners could accept them. But what I hear with talkovers is basically garble from both of them -- maybe that's the intent.

      Delete
    2. Rain, Kaine is my senator and was my governor. Believe me he is the best. VA is very divided but he governed it well. He says himself he is dull as dirt. I think he had one to many Mountain Dews last night.

      Delete
  2. I love TK, voted for him for Governor and Senator. He's really quite competent, and a man of great integrity. VA is a tough state, quite schizo, with NOVA and ROVA. Huge immigrant population, huge Hispanic and Black populations and huge military population.

    Kaine was like the energizer bunny last night but extremely truthful compared with his rival (WaPo fact checker). Yes, talking over each other noxious.

    I look at politics not style and the ultra right Pence is not my cup of tea. My youngest attended Longwood, I know it well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Appreciate hearing the views of someone who has been governed by Kaine. My VA family member and her friends have a positive view of Kaine, also, since he was a Mayor then eventually Governor.

      I become really annoyed at what passes as "debate form" between politicians, especially this election, since I was a college debater many years ago when one issue was whether or not to establish free trade with Red China.

      Cheers for Longwood though I've never visited the campus.

      Delete
  3. I agree with the opinion that Kaine did not do well for himself but did well for Clinton. Pense did well for himself but did nothing for Trump. Pense was running for 2020. Kaine was running for 2016.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a pretty succinct description, Linda.

      Delete
  4. Agree with the idea that shutting off a microphone is appropriate, and even would take it one step further. Leave it on only for the person who first addresses the question, then turn that one off while the other microphone is activated for the rebuttal. That would stop all interruptions and talkovers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Let's hope there is some return to decorum in these natioanl debates. We Hawaii Island Leaguers are running two debates featuring local and state candidates, and I expect they will treat each other with civility.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's hope so and others don't descend to disruptive levels.

      Delete
  6. I thought it was in very poor taste on both sides. At age 83 I've followed politics for years but nothing has ever come close to this. Our enemies and allies all over the world must shake their heads in wonder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Veep candidates behaved well compared to the one off-the-wall Presidential candidate in last night's debate. Fortunately, the lady took her usual high road.

      Delete
  7. After arguing with my daughter for a week about politics, I'm swearing off for a while.
    Tim Kaine was our governor and now our Senator. Yes he's dull, but you will never meet a better man.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dull doesn't necessarily bother me. What does concern me are the policies these individuals support -- Kaine and Pence have very different views on issues important to me.

      Delete