ThePlayDrive
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2011
- Messages
- 19,610
- Reaction score
- 7,647
- Gender
- Undisclosed
- Political Leaning
- Undisclosed
1. Since you "liked" Tucker post when he said that debates "should be" judged that way and then proceeded to defend the point, I took your argument to be that it "should be" that way as well. Moreover, you are, in fact, disagreeing with me according to how I think debates should be judged - which is by substance not the majority - so you are, in fact, arguing for how debates should be judged.I'm not saying that's how debates "should be" or "must be" judged. The simple reality is that, going back to the first debates between JFK and Nixon, that's simply how they ARE judged. Do I wish that debates would be judged differently? Perhaps with factcheckers standing on the sidelines giving out scores and calling out candidates for when they make **** up? Probably so. That doesn't change the reality it's public perception that really matters when it comes to winning these Presidential debates. Everything else is irrelevant.
From an individual standpoint, of course it's subjective. From the standpoint of trying to help yourself win in the polls and subsequently the election? Once again, it's public perception that matters.
2. If you aren't arguing for how debates should be judged and are instead just stating how debates are judged, period, then we don't disagree. The majority of people judge who won a debate by looks and by who appealed more the public. That is a fact. This fact is never what I disputed. I took issue with people's decision to go along with that standard of judgment.
3. I don't disagree. Relative to winning, public perception is what matters. But that's not the point I'm making. My point is that the decision in and of itself to judge a debate performance relative solely to that standard is subjective. I have decided not to judge campaigns by the standard. TC, you and others disagree with that and that disagreement is subjective.
In sum, I know that public perception and the majority are the most important thing for winning. This was never something that I contested. MY point has always been that we shouldn't judge debates by looks just because most of the public does and just because looks are the most important factor in winning. If you agree with that, great. If you don't, you're part of the problem.