Posted on 09/19/2007 5:40:34 AM PDT by coca-cola kid
Those aren’t debates.Bingo!!! They're not debates. A real debate would have two participants and a
Exactly.The "debates" we've been subjected to so far are nothing more than dog-and-pony shows, with serious candidates vying with a gaggle of no-chancers, trying to one-up each other with cute, 30-second sound bites.
Actually, what the "debates" we've been subjected to (those of us who have submitted) are beauty contests. The moderator is there to promote himself, and to promote journalism. That is, to promote cheap talk over action, which is what Political Correctness is all about.The format is designed to pressure candidates toward PC politics, and to minimize intellectual discussion. Just as the interview portion of a beauty contest is. It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out what a journalist wants to hear, and parrot it - after all, the journalists ain't geniuses, either . . .
So if in fact Fred Thompson is eager to participate in a debate on October 14, he should just arrange one himself. In cyberspace. No need to assemble the participants, just do the whole thing in the Internet. No need for enforcement of rules against notes and so forth, just allow the candidates to do their thing. No impediment to candidates referring to data sources, just allow them to put links into the stream, and to do Power Point presentations.
Best of all, no need for so much as a "bye your leave" from Big Journalism. Just do it.
Of course Giuliani kept it quiet -- he loses a lot of credibility if it becomes widely known that he won't accept Saudi checks for 9/11 victims, but he'll gladly accept them for himself.
Here’s a pertinent NY Post article and thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833794/posts
“Giuliani’s law and lobbying clients have included Saudi Arabia, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., and chewing tobacco maker UST Inc.”
Here’s another thread about the secrecy with which Giuliani has conducted business; that’s fine as a private citizen, but as a candidate he should disclose recent clients/potential conflicts of interest.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833321/posts
Sunday’s Washington Post notes that Giuliani Capital Advisors “was sold for an undisclosed amount as Giuliani was preparing his run for president.”
“The Post article also discloses that Giuliani’s secretive lobbying firm, Giuliani Partners, has made more than $100 million over the last five years and that its clients “are required to sign confidentiality agreements, so they do not comment about the work they receive or how much they are paying for it. Though now running for president, Giuliani refuses to identify his clients, disclose his compensation or reveal any details about Giuliani Partners. He also declined to be interviewed about the firm.” The paper provided some details, based “on a review of corporate, government and court records, along with scores of interviews with clients and government officials who have interacted with Giuliani Partners.” “
It is common courtesy to let someone know when you are talking about them, as opposed to talking about them behind their back.
It is the last thing I want to see nastiness as well. Especially the kind that doesn’t tell the truth.
Lay off the crack pipe newbie. Ron Paul and John McCain have always stood up for the 2nd Amendment.
I find your sanctimonious, judgemental, name-calling tirade embarrassing. I hope you’re supporting McRimnut, Ron Paul or anybody but Fred.
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