After last night’s Republican debate and continuing today, all the buzz from the pundit class about who won had one consistency…it was who showed off the best hatin’.
Marco Rubio is being celebrated as winning the debate for hatin’ on Jeb! who first tried out his weak wristed hand on hatin’ on Marco to win the debate. Marco also spread the hatin’ to the media and all that hate piled up to give him the win!
Ted Cruz was deemed a winner for hatin’ on the moderators and CNBC for asking questions he didn’t like. Chris Christie was the last one named a winner for hatin’ on the moderators’ questions about fantasy football as unregulated gambling.
Go back to the rise of Trump, it’s a track record of his winning the media’s attention and debates because of his hatin’ on Mexicans and immigrants, women, China, Obama. etc.
And what was it that elevated Ben Carson from obscurity in the first place? Hatin’ on Obama at a conference. And what has his campaign been about? Hatin’ on Muslims, gays, women who are pro-choice, blacks, immigrants, etc.
When Carly Fiorina got her bounce in the second debate, she was heralded as a winner because she was the most aggressive in hatin’ on Hillary.
To win a GOP debate, you don’t argue your policies on the issues, you don’t argue principles, you don’t literally win a debate over any particular topic, you simply need to show that you are the best at hatin’.
Why does this go so unnoticed throughout the MSM? They constantly crown debate winners without being even momentarily capable of any self-introspection, they seem incapable of asking themselves, “Why are we saying this candidate was a winner?” In fact, despite Rubio’s outright lying and evading direct responses to the questions he was asked, they called him “the winner” on hatin’ alone!
The corporate corruption of the media is so complete. They have lowered the bar so low that they unanimously cooperate at this level of “reasoning”, that a political party should favor candidates based on how unapologetic and hatin’ they can be.
Fortunately, there is a stark difference between Republican and Democratic debates this season (so far). The preponderance of the discussions are about policy and substance and whether one thought Hillary or Bernie won the first Democratic Debate, the arguments supporting such an opinion has little to do with hatin’.
Is the media simply reflecting what “wins” with Republican voters when it comes to debates or are they enforcing this dichotomy of what makes a Republican a winner in a debate and what makes a Democrat a winner? And when we get to the General Election, does anointing a candidate “the winner” continue to be for Best Hatin’ in a Debate Performance or actually debating the opponent on the issues and winning that way?
I would actually argue that debates don’t necessarily have winners or losers, it depends on what transpires.
If the media didn’t have such a “game” mindset about politics, always needing to call winners and losers, and fairly reviewed the debate last night, I think the conclusion would have been that there wasn’t any winner. None of the candidates debated well, answered questions directly and accurately. None of them inspired viewers about a legitimate view on issues or a concrete and realistic vision for the future.
They just laid out their version of hatin’ and let the MSM and Repub voters serve themselves from that All You Can Stomach Hatin’ Buffet.
But instead, the MSM trumpets Rubio as the winner, that influences Repub voters to support him more then next week the MSM will announce a poll that basically shows the results they’ve helped create, that his numbers have gone up thanks to their declaration about who won. So the MSM is manipulating the race, perhaps unintentionally, perhaps to keep the level of competition high so they can get more viewers tuning in and make more on advertising, perhaps because their corporate executives would prefer a specific outcome (any question about Fox News on this front?).
Imagine if the majority of voters thought the same way and that their choice for President would be the candidate who showed in debates that he/she was the best at hatin’. That’s who they would really want making huge decisions that affect their lives? When it came to Social Security and Medicare, the poor and immigrants or serious matters of war? The one who’s the best at hatin’ should have the nuclear codes? I don’t think so.
Hatin’ may be the central competition for Republicans in a primary but using that as the basis for selecting a nominee will eventually lead to their waking up the morning after the 2016 election…and hatin’ life.
I believe the media has come to the realization that our politicians are bought and sold, and anybody who isn’t willing to do the bidding of the Oligarchs won’t be president anyway. What difference does it make what these republicans say, or the democrats either for that matter. We all know that money is the grand equalizer in politics in the U.S. and that every candidate either plays along with the highest bidder eventually, or he/she won’t be in office very long. The media is in it for the money, so if they can make it a game, or what they consider interesting, then by all means, the more it looks like a fight between gladiators at the Coliseum, the more butts they get in the seats, and the more ads they sell.
It is time for the electorate, the 99% of us who whine constantly about how debates/elections are going and what the MSM is doing to influence these debates/elections, or who can and can’t get elected because so many of the people in this nation are undereducated one issue voters easily influenced etc., (and the list could go on all night but I’m sure you get the my drift) to stop, think a minute, and take action. I believe it is time for us, the 99% to start having our own meetings, our own Town Hall meetings or whatever kind we wish to have so that we can come together and decide who and what is best for this nation. The debates don’t now, nor have they ever been a deciding factor for many people as to who they decide to vote for. Politicians lie so much, you have to do your homework after the debates just to find out how much the majority of them lied.
Many in this nation are poorly educated to begin with, and then lied to by politicians so often they can’t tell a lie from the truth, it is time we have every sentence a politician says fact checked, and then distributed among ourselves so that we can become better informed voters…however, all of us meeting could be a bit too difficult, it could force some to have to sit next to someone they might not wish to sit next to, or discuss something that might be uncomfortable with someone who might see through their deceitfulness, or afraid they might lose some of the privilege they enjoy if they decide to help their fellow human being etc., so we continue to drift along fooling ourselves into believing everything is fine and that the right person for the job, you know, the one that the 1% will accept will be the right one to take care of everything we want taken care. We try to convince ourselves that the person who gets into office, if it is the person we want in office is the lesser of the two evils. And, that is what we usually choose in elections these days, the lesser of the two evils rather than someone who is going to do a good job for everyone in this nation and the world for that matter.
Why not have a hating contest, or a clown contest or a reality show appearance, what difference does it make, that is what most of us are accustomed to. The elections are bought and paid for by billionaires and nobody who is going to go against the Oligarchs is going to get elected unless, we, the serfs pass out the pitch forks, get into the streets and advise the Oligarchs of the fact that we are not to stand for this anymore.
Monica, I find it hard to understand how the republicans can stand there and tell us that the “media” is liberal. The “media” gives them all the attention.
But I just figured it out. They lie all the time.
They sure do Nirek, they are like a spoiled brat that has an abundance of toys, but doesn’t want to share any of them with anyone else, even though they have way to many to ever be able to play with all of them. Republicans have the majority of radio and TV programs, many of the web sites as well, and most of the media is conservative, some, extremely conservative and they still aren’t happy. I don’t believe they will be happy until they can have it all, that way they can relax and just feed the lies to those that don’t bother to take an interest in their lives, the lives of their children, their neighbors, or even the world.
Did you see the Repugnican debates? Did you notice how Cruz is advocating for Hannity, Limbaugh, etc., to be moderators instead of the people that the MSM chooses to moderate? Can you imagine, we have come so far down this crooked road, that the candidates don’t mind telling you they want the debates and the elections skewed in their favor. It isn’t enough that the Supreme Court has given them all the money they need to hoodwink the public. I guess that didn’t work as well as they thought it would, so now they want to stack the deck by bringing in their own moderators who will undoubtedly be told what questions to ask, and then will be supplied the answers so that just in case one of the candidates has an oops moment like Perry did, the moderators can jump in and save them.
To sum up, repugnicans are becoming even more repugnant than they were in the past, this new bunch of hatchlings that the billionaires are cultivating are well, for want of a better word, and to stay within my limits of not using profanity, I’ll just say they’re SOCIOPATHS. 🙂
Have a great day Nirek!!! FEEL THE BERN!!!!
Monica, I can’t watch much of their “debates” without getting sick. I see enough of them on the “news”.
1%ers #FearTneBern
“The Hate Debate” definitely sums up the most recent GOP debacle. Thanks so much for this assessment, AdLib. It takes a step back from all the noise (and there was plenty, including commercials) to have a look at what was really going on.
I’ve always thought that if you go even a millimeter beneath the surface of hate, what you find underneath is fear. Craven, shaking, cookie-tossing and sweating fear.
The most ardently GOP couple I know of is gripped by this kind of fear. (I’m beginning to believe it truly is hard-wired into the brains of RW extremists.)
Even though they’re wealthy, they’re afraid that their financial future is in serious jeopardy. They’re afraid of losing the money they have now. They’re afraid of all brown people (don’t they always take your money?) They’re so afraid of everyone that they own several guns. Which then makes them very afraid that someone is going to come and take their guns away.
They’re afraid of Muslims, because they watch FOX “News” — religiously. They’re afraid of dying, because — shouldn’t all that money give them a pass on that inevitable rendezvous with the Grim Reaper? (It’s not fair!)
They’re afraid of young people. (“Because they’re all ‘wild’ and ‘have no respect.'”) They’re afraid of poor old people, because their SS and Medicare are “stealing our money.”
They’re afraid of going to their imaginary hell, so they buy Get Out of Hell Free cards from the local fundie church. (Those allow them to be as mean and homophobic as they want and still enter the pearly gates.)
They’re afraid of Bernie Sanders because — Socialism. And of gay people because — different.
The biggest voting problem they face is — as you said so eloquently here — picking the candidate who channels their fears most effectively into anger.
At this point, who is their Hater of Choice? Ben Carson, of course.
Because nothing masks hate and fear better than a Xanax face and a soft spoken verbal assault on reason and decency.
Well stated, Homie. I know just such a couple. They even hate their own daughter-in-law.
The hubby is a career cop who worked in SWAT for many years. They absolutely hate Obama (and all people of color), liberals (hippies all) and anybody on public assistance.
They have a “bunker,” well stocked with food, water and lot’s and lots of guns and ammo. Any freeloaders in a disaster will be shot on sight, no questions asked.
These are scary people. Scary people who consider themselves good Christians and REAL Americans.
I’m sure they’re loving all the hatred coming from the GOPer candidates.
Oh, does that sound familiar, Homie! Their numbers are legion around here too!
Hear, hear Kes!!! Spot on!!!
Many thanks for the kind words, Monica! <3