Political Reactions Directory of Speech & Debate Analyses 27 May 202026 Jun 2020 So that does it, we reached another milestone here on the ol' blog. And that is this: I am (almost) done with politics! And that is just fine by me,…
Political Reactions General Election Debates: Summary & Conclusion 26 May 2020 [Note that this was written just before the 2016 cycle occurred, as I'd initially watched all the other debates to contextualize the 2016 election itself. I'll offer updated thoughts in…
Political Reactions My Stream of Consciousness During the 2016 Trump/Clinton Debates (4/4) 26 May 202026 May 2020 Once again, keep in mind that: Blue text is for Hillary. Red text is for Trump. Green text is for the moderators. The Lunatics Are Running the Asylum The real,…
Political Reactions My Stream of Consciousness During the 2016 Trump/Clinton Debates (3/4) 26 May 202026 May 2020 Out of all of them, this was the most entertaining to watch just because of all the crazy scandals coming out about Donald “grab 'em by the pussy” Trump at…
Political Reactions My Stream of Consciousness During the 2016 Trump/Clinton Debates (2/4) 26 May 202026 May 2020 So, this debate-reaction essay is going to be different than what's come before. I have so many thoughts on this cycle, and the debates were such unfocused messes between Trump…
Political Reactions My Stream of Consciousness During the 2016 Trump/Clinton Debates (1/4) Intro 26 May 202026 May 2020 For the 2016 debates, I personally watched them live with a chocolate milkshake (my comfort food) while Skyping a long-distance friend who was watching on his end. I wrote quick…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2012 Obama/Romney Debates (3/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 Obama gets his first big dig in early on, during the topic of Benghazi and the Middle East, criticizing Romney for wanting more troops in Iraq as well as how…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2012 Obama/Romney Debates (2/3) 26 May 2020 Second Debate This is where the most famous moment of this debate cycle comes in, and probably the most famous moment in any debate since “Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.”…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2012 Obama/Romney Debates (1/3) 26 May 2020 If you watch no other debate series I've linked to, watch these. Not only are they the most recent and by definition the most relevant to our world today,* but…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2008 Obama/McCain Debates (3/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 Third Debate To begin with some meta-commentary, I need to reiterate that it's so shallow and annoying all the first "thank yous" that happen during the initial question at every…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2008 Obama/McCain Debates (2/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 Second Debate I see the last moderator was replaced this time around. I wonder if he'll be back in the third or if the network executives were sick of him…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2008 Obama/McCain Debates (1/3) 26 May 2020 These are the first general election debates I was old enough watch as they occurred. Like everyone else my age, I was smitten with Obama and wanted him to win…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2004 Bush/Kerry Debates (3/3) 26 May 2020 Third Debate Once again, we get a reminder of 9/11, terrorism, and concerns of safety looming over this election with the very first question “will our children ever know a…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2004 Bush/Kerry Debates (2/3) 26 May 2020 Second Debate Kerry loses respect from me right off the bat for saying in no uncertain terms that he supports the PATRIOT Act. I believe supporting the extraordinary powers granted…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2004 Bush/Kerry Debates (1/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 You know the difference between Bush II and all the other commonly cited “worst presidents?” Bush was reelected. Buchanan, Pierce, Andrew Johnson and Warren G Harding, all were one termers.…
Political Reactions My Take on the 2000 Bush/Gore Debates (3/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 Third Debate This is where the most infamous moment of this particular election cycle occurred, when Gore stupidly approached Bush's debate podium in an effort to appear intimidating. Instead, it…
Political Reactions My Take on the 2000 Bush/Gore Debates (2/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 Second Debate If you watch no other 2000 debate I've linked to, watch this one. Saddam Hussein. Bush mentioned him once in the previous debate, but here you see him…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 2000 Bush/Gore Debates (1/3) 26 May 2020 The Bush/Gore debates of 2000 are, in hindsight, perhaps the most fateful of modern times. Imagine if we had debates of Buchanan vs Fremont, or Warren Harding vs Cox, or…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1992 Clinton/Bush/Perot Debates (3/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 The Rise of Clinton Right away, I agree with Clinton talking about trickle down economics at the beginning, and I further agree with him that infrastructure and healthcare can be…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1992 Clinton/Bush/Perot Debates (2/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 This is the most famous of the debates from the '92 cycle, because of three key moments which defined the way the public perceived each candidate. I'll describe these when…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1992 Clinton/Bush/Perot Debates (1/3) 26 May 202026 May 2020 I'll say right off the bat that these are my favorite general election debates. 1992 is special because it remains the only time a third party candidate ever participated along…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1988 Bush/Dukakis Debates (2/2) 26 May 202026 May 2020 That Question This begins with one of the most important examples of “appearances matter!” in all politics. The most infamous moment from these debates is the first question here, where…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1988 Bush/Dukakis Debates (1/2) 26 May 202026 May 2020 These are a lot more spirited and fun to watch then those of the previous 3 cycles, or 1996, all of which were often brutal to slog through. How times…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1984 Reagan/Mondale Debates 26 May 2020 These are between Reagan and Mondale, of course. So, I don't have as much to say about this cycle as I will with regards to future debates. (This general election…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1980 Reagan/Anderson & Reagan/Carter Debates 22 May 202024 May 2020 This cycle is pretty special because it's one of only two times where a candidate outside of the Democrat-Republican duopoly was ever allowed to participate. But unlike the three-way competition…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1976 and 1996 General Election Debates 25 Apr 202026 May 2020 So, this must seem strange, to group two non-consecutive cycles of debates together into a single post. The reason I'm doing so is simple: these are by far the two…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon Debates (2/2) 25 Apr 202025 Apr 2020 My thoughts on the other 3 Kennedy-Nixon Debates from 1960, the first General Election Debates in US history. None of these are anywhere near as fascinating as the first. The…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon Debates (1/2) 25 Apr 202025 Apr 2020 A lot has been made about the differences in appearance between the two men in this debate. There's the famous anecdote about how radio listeners liked Nixon more while TV…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 21st Century Vice Presidential Debates (2/2) 25 Apr 202025 Apr 2020 Biden v Ryan 2012 Paul Ryan was supposed to be the young, fresh "exciting!" candidate to balance out Romney's milquetoast, past-his-prime factor. It didn't quite work, and in my opinion…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 21st Century Vice Presidential Debates (1/2) 25 Apr 202025 Apr 2020 I'll begin with some general observations and thoughts before we dive into the specific debates. The VP is usually considered the "attack dog" of the ticket since they can say…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 20th Century Vice Presidential Debates (2/2) 25 Apr 2020 Bentsen v Quayle 1988 This is where the single most famous moment of any US debate occurred, “Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy” where Lloyd Bentsen put Dan Quayle in his…
Political Reactions My Reaction to the 20th Century Vice Presidential Debates (1/2) 25 Apr 2020 These won't be as in-depth as my write ups for the Presidential or primary debates. There's just not as much to talk about, and the VP debates have never had…
