twfowler: Point well taken. Here's my spin on THE LAST WORD:
Even the media put a left-wing spin on Bush's answer to "the question".
American society (Canadian society too) is shaped by the left-wing media. Even NBC has been tolerant enough on some of its shows (like Hardball, etc) to allow respected people to criticize the media's slant.
Most Americans (I use that loosely in this instance to indicate anyone on the American continent) are having a hard enough time reading their kids and their bosses and spouses to understand that they need to read a left-wing slant into the very news that they are being fed.
As has been said recently, the problem with TV is that the viewer can't participate. You are like a baby suckling on its mother's tit - you do not have an opportunity to interact, to question, to say, "WAIT A MINUTE, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT. PROVE IT TO ME."
This disassociation causes us to subconsciously "accept" what we are being fed, if only because there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.
CNN, immediately after the debate (I have it taped) said, "Gore really struck points with the character thing. He didn't get down to Bush's level, and that scored points for him."
No-one other than Cheney said, "Ya, but at least he answered the question. He didn't attack Gore, he merely answered a question that he had been asked."
Alas, most Americans who can't think and judge for themselves sat there and said, "Wow! I'm glad that was Gore instead of ME standing up there. I wouldn't want to be ripped apart like that. Poor guy...". Gore played on the audience's ability to empathize with him, and he played it well.
Again, social manipulation was at work. The media twisted the situation to make it look like Gore scored points, when in fact, Bush scored points for answering the question and Gore lost points for avoiding the question with padded words.
However, all things said, Bush could have said, "At the risk of NOT answering the question, I'm not going to go there."
Then Gore would have been asked the question, and may have screwed it up.
The trouble with debates is that neither participant is behind glass. Each time a question is posed to one person FIRST, it gives the other debater time to watch, listen, and come up with a better answer than the other guy.
Perhaps my bias toward Bush is showing, but there is a definite trend here, albeit perhaps unintentional.
I used to speak publicly in competitions as a youth. The two people who were envied in the whole night were the guy or gal who spoke first, and the guy or gal who spoke last. I remember to this day that an audience will remember most the things that the first guy said, and the last guy. Everybody else really has to struggle to make an impression with the judges. If there are only two people, most people will remember the last thing said, sort-of like in an argument when you get the parting shot.
Gore got asked the first question first. His rebuttal was last.
Throughout the debate, Gore kept trying to get the "last word". To me, it was embarrassingly obvious. After awhile, the moderator started cutting Gore off.
KIRO interviewed Cheney and Liberman last night after the debate. Liberman got to speak last.
CNN interviewed Cheney and Liberman last night after the debate. Liberman got to speak last.
I think if there is any advice I would give the Bush campaign, it would be MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR SHARE OF THE LAST WORD.
canuck-l-head |
