I have watched political debates religiously in the past. I majored in politics in college and when I was young, I would even take notes to make sure any relevant points, lines or zingers were remembered. That was before the internet, when information wasn’t as readily available and debates were – theoretically – one of the best places to learn about a candidate’s platform. That’s all behind me now as I’ve given up watching political debates.
Recent evenings my Twitter feed would feature a few people watching, reporting and commenting on the gubernatorial debates, and while I mostly ignored the updates, part of me thought it was a mix of nostalgia and naivety to care about the debates. It’s a hobby, like fantasy league football. It could be cynicism talking or the fact that I’m not excited about either Jerry Brown or Meg Whitman, but real information rarely comes out of debates. They are more performance art than a real, back-and-forth debate of ideas. As a mom, I don’t need to turn on the TV to watch childish bickering.
I don’t think that a lot of truth comes out in debates. Instant fact-checking is nearly impossible, allowing an abundance of misinformation, outdated data, and skewed or ignored statistics to support whichever argument a politician makes. Regardless of how clearly spelled out, promises aren’t likely to result in policy changes. So why is this worth my time?
This doesn’t mean debates don’t occasionally produce relevant news. If that happens, I can catch the clips on The Daily Show or YouTube. I don’t regret missing the gubernatorial debates this month, or the bickering over a maid or a derogatory comment made by a campaign aide. It wasn’t worth my time and it wouldn’t have helped me decide who to vote for. I’ll stick with reading up on impartial analysis until debates return to being less scripted forums focusing on real issues and the thoughtful, detailed solutions candidates offer in response.
(Photo/George Nikitin, Dominican University of California, 2010)
I don’t watch most political debates either. But that’s more because debates are always on during the dinner hour and, frankly, I’d rather we sit around the table and have a pleasant conversation than watch two adults call each other names like it’s the Third grade all over again. Debates these days seem to mean who can get in the most jabs instead of who stands for what issues.
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I hear you about Brown vs Whitman. Ugh. Once again, for me, it’s all about the lesser of 2 evils!
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Political debates = politician showboating
I don’t watch either because we don’t hear a debate, we watch two people bicker, put each other down and talk in circles.
I’m having a lot of trouble getting into the political races this year as well. I feel like most of the talk is about what the other candidate will/won’t do and not how THEY can make a real tangible difference. I know I should be more inspired to get involved, but, like you, I’m choosing to focus that energy on my family this season.