We watched the Democrats debate last night. How tired am I of the phrase "But let me first say..."? They get asked a direct question and given 30 seconds to answer, and they say, "But let me first say..." and go on some tangent and never answer the original question.
There was also a mini-exposé about how Social Security will run out in 2017 and Medicare will run out in 2013, so what do you suggest to do about it as president? All of them answered that the solution to the problem was...change. They are all pro-change. They actively and vociferously support change. Problem is, they never exactly said what it was they planned to change in order to make us stop running out of money. They completely didn't answer the question.
Vodkapundit clowned on 'em in his drunkblogging:
9:00pm Did you know that Hillary has experience? Experience with change? Change that only her experience, her experience with change, can bring about? And that she’s a woman, a woman bringing change with her experience of womanness? Yeah, me neither.
Roger L. Simon has decided we must ban the word change from English.
The whole exchange was so meaningless that it reminded me of the presidential debate on Futurama:
John Jackson: It's time someone had the courage to stand up and say: I'm against those things that everybody hates.
Jack Johnson: Now, I respect my opponent. I think he's a good man. But quite frankly, I agree with everything he just said.
Are we there yet?
Posted by Sarah at January 6, 2008 11:04 AM | TrackBack
I also heard Huckabee use the word change over and over (and over) - and yet, he was vague as to what form change should come in. I don't trust that guy for some reason.
Posted by: Erin at January 6, 2008 12:26 PMI liked the format very, very much. Much better than the other debates. I did learn something from the debates, not so much on substance (wha? is a debate supposed to be about substance), but watching the candidates interact with one another in a less-restrictive forum was instructive for me. Very instructive.
I also thought Charlie Gibson did a good job of fading into the background. Much better than some of the more ego-centric moderators we've had thrust on us in the past.
Posted by: Andi at January 6, 2008 01:47 PMI'm also beginning to think the debates are just an elaborate drinking game. Change? Drink up!
I did like Fred Thompson for not knowing about anchorman desk jacket syndrome. It's nice to see anyone appear less than perfectly polished.
Maybe next time there will be enough content to distract me from rumpled jackets and the desire for liquor. Eh, maybe not.
Posted by: stuffed at January 6, 2008 07:43 PMLife Imitates 'Saturday Night Live'
* "With our experience, we're gonna have ideas for change combinations that probably haven't occurred to you. If you have a 50-dollar bill, we can give you 50 singles. . . . We can give you 49 and 10 dimes. We can give you 25 twos. Come talk to us. . . . We are not going to give you change that you don't want. If you come to us with a hundred-dollar bill, we're not going to give you 2,000 nickels . . . unless that meets your particular change needs. We will give you the change equal to the amount of money that you want change for! At First Citiwide Change Bank, Our business is making change. That's what we do."--"Saturday Night Live" ad parody, Oct. 8, 1988
* "I want to make change, but I've already made change. I will continue to make change. I'm not just running on a promise of change. I'm running on 35 years of change. I'm running on having taken on the drug companies and the health insurance c*mpanies, taking on the oil companies. So, you know, I think it is clear that what we need is somebody who can deliver change. And we don't need to be raising the false hopes of our country about what can be delivered. The best way to know what change I will produce is to look at the changes that I've already made."--Hillary Clinton, Jan. 5, 2008
http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110011095
Posted by: David Boxenhorn at January 8, 2008 03:01 PM