Politics Our Presidential Debate

This is a debate thread. It is meant to be an enjoyable, lively debate. But it is not comedy.


Here is how it will work. I will act as moderator. I will present topics. There will be a new overarching topic presented once a month. You will present your take on your respective political candidates' perspective on each topic. You may include links to substantiate your writing, but it is not necessary. You will "be" your candidate. You will do your best to respectfully portray their perspective in wording similar to their own (but not plagiarized). If the conversation picks up, I will offer additional sub-questions on each overarching topic as needed, up to once a day.

Memes are not welcome here, and will be deleted (unless made by meltedmetalglob, because face it, he's wonderful).

Take a side. It does not have to be your side. In fact, it will be more fun if you present something other than your personal political beliefs.

We need equal participants on each side of this thread before the debate will begin. I would like to see 2 or more people on each side (note this has become a 4-sided debate). If you want to join in once the debate has begun, a counterpart representing at least one other side must present themselves before you both can join in.

Donald Trump:
No One



Hillary Clinton:
Redux
RedRaven

Gary Johnson:
Rogue49


Jill Stein:
Wye



For now, respond with what side you are willing to take.

 

I like this idea but I don't really feel like I should be involving myself in it. I will just observe for now I think.

 

Man, take a different side...
Is this when I had to be against porn in HS debate class?? (I did decent enough, the other kids ended up thinking I was some type of moralist/religious guy...NOT me what so ever)
Or when I had to pretend to be the general that organized the Manhattan Project to justify why we needed to drop the bomb?? (something that changed my mind, btw...I understand the situation now)

I'd have a difficult time defending supporting Trump, it's just a no brainer.

Although, I could be against Clinton, she's no saint...as I've said before.
And I've got enough Libertarian/Conservative values that I could ding her.

 

Sounds like you may be willing to take the side of Team Trump?
You've succeeded at the devil's advocate before...

 

I don't know...not sure about that.
Trump isn't your typical poltical devil, he's madder than an Abyssal demon.

I'll be against Hillary, but not for Trump per se.
Just like I'm not really for the Dems, but I hate the current dynamic of the GOP.
Gee, sounds like I'm like a old-school elite conservative.

How about we say, just like they do, for team sports...anyone against Hillary, I can work with that.

 

Fair enough.

 

It sounds like we might have the man/woman power to pull off a 4- way debate between Dem/Rep/Green/Lib. Is this of interest?

 

Only if we can understand lags in time, @geniunemommy
Work is intense and I may not be able to reply immediately, invest myself there. Only at home.
We'll all have to realize RL may take priority.
Without saying normally, but with a debate sometimes the expectation is "real-time"

 

The TFP is a slow-paced board. Lags in time are expected and appreciated. Thoughts are best gathered and presented with a bit of time to foment in the mind.

I was planning on introducing a new topic to debate once a month, between now and the election. If things pick up with the debate, I can provide sub-questions to these overarching topics as often as desired, up to once a day. (I edited the op to reflect this timetable)

 

Is anyone here undecided enough that their vote could be swayed by a debate?

This election seems to have boiled down mostly to a clash between two "cults of personality." With the two major party candidates both playing fast and loose with the truth; we're now on a level of "My liar is better than your liar. Nya, Nya Nya Nya." Putting Stein and Johnson on the same footing as Clinton and Trump seems to me to be just so much political/intellectual masturbation, and totally pointless.

I could take the negative side for either Clinton or Trump. Pretty easy-peasy. I could argue against Hillary, I could argue against Donald. I don't see how I could argue for either one of them.

The support that Trump and Sanders got in the primaries just shows how pissed and disgusted the electorate is with the political class; the so-called qualified, experienced, and effective leaders that keeps being sent back to Washington through incumbency, dynasty, and the good ol' boy's endorsement merry-go-round.

So what do we have? Hillary, who epitomizes of the privileged and entrenched political upper crust of both major parties which has proven its inability to effectively govern.

And we have that egomaniac nitwit Donald Trump, whose sole virtue is that he has brought to the fore the endemic dissatisfaction with the political elite of both parties that is typically just ignored or swept under the rug. And for that, I say "Right on, Donald."

@genuinemommy, please do with this post whatever you think is appropriate. Delete it or move it elsewhere if you want to. I apologize for raining on your parade. But I think that here on this board you will not find someone to effectively argue the unarguable in support of Trump. And without that voice the debate would be a sham.

 

I was planning on posting a topic for discussion this morning. Unfortunately it seems that we have no one willing to present the position of Trump or Stein. Shall we have a debate between Clinton and Johnson?