There's battle lines being drawn.
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong.
Young people speaking their minds
getting so much resistance from behind

Monday, July 21, 2008

Politics Gong Show Style

In honor of Comedy Central bringing back the Gong Show (which just isn't going to be the same without Rip Taylor and his bag of fairy dust, IMHO), here is my contribution to the political debates.

Personally, what I would like to see is a Presidential Debate done in the same fashion as the Gong Show. We could have a panel of a senior CNN political reporter (Wofl Blitzer perhaps), a senior Fox News reporter (Brit Hume maybe), and an NPR political reporter (I suggest Cokie Roberts) sitting in the panel chairs with someone like Jim Lear as moderator. The panelists would then be able to ring the gong if they detect 1) Not answering the question (goodbye "I first would like to" statements that take up half the time alloted to answering the questions), 2) Obvious bull (said panelist who rung the gong would then have to explain reality, opposing viewpoints could be given time), 3) Pandering or 4) Attacking without stating their own position. You might not even have to limit the response times.

Yes, I would definitely make time to watch such a debate. Heck, it would make a seriously good drinking game if nothing else. It not like we're ever going to go back to a Lincoln-Douglas kind of open debate of ideas. Might as well make it entertaining.

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