Looking forward to some confrontation in what was otherwise predicted to be a dull exchange in the most recent Democratic debate, viewers watched to see how Clinton and Sanders would handle what some in the punditocracy have begun calling “datagate.” Those hoping for heated moments were disappointed as Sanders quickly explained and apologized for what [...]
There was almost no mention of domestic policy in the 5th Republican debate. Instead, the focus was on national security. I predicted that candidates would argue about who had the best plan to defeat terrorism and who would be the toughest. After watching the debate, three aspects stood out for me: Revealing moments, language choices [...]
CNN has been promoting the 5th Republican primary debate as if we’re about to watch The Hunger Games [watch the CNN trailer]. While we won’t hear a cannon shot and see pictures of the candidates afterwards because they’ve been figuratively killed during the debate, we might see certain elephants make a big splat after falling [...]
You’ll find mention of the “fact” that Ted Cruz was a championship debater in post-debate analyses, talk shows and political commentaries. But let’s examine the fact a little more closely. True, Cruz debated while at Princeton. It’s also true he and his partner won some championships. But here’s the key point that’s often overlooked or [...]
Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump have all been able to capitalize on voters’ discontent with status quo politicians by portraying themselves as “outsiders” who aren’t tainted by the political culture of lobbying and special interests. I'm focusing on Republicans for the most part, since they refer to themselves as "outsiders." Jeb Bush was [...]
Let’s begin with the assumption that people watch the debates for the purpose of learning more about the candidates instead of reinforcing their existing opinion. That’s a big assumption, but if the latter holds true, their viewing pleasure would be enriched by simply going to their candidate’s website and watching the political advertisements commercial free, [...]