Social Media Makes It Easy to Host a Presidential Debate

My family lives in a little house in a deep, secluded valley in Northern Maine.  One of the fringe benefits of this reclusive lifestyle is no television reception.  So, when my wife and 2 teenagers surprised me by saying they wanted to watch the Presidential debate, we went to the trusty internet.

We chose a live stream from Yahoo and joined the pre-debate commentators about 10 minutes before President Obama and Mitt Romney were set to square off.  To call them commentators is much the same as calling a glazed donut “breakfast.”   My son, who was interested in the debate to gather material for his sophomore civics project, picked up on the fluff factor immediately.

Most of the banter could have been generated from any living room in the country.   Romney’s “Jenga” skills, the latest Facebook memes, and the revelation that they were actually watching the debate on a TV screen in an entirely different place made me realize anybody can host a presidential debate.

And once the two big guys started sparring, the continuous Twitter feed that scrolled across the screen clinched it.  Comments ranged from Mitt Romney’s hair gel to how many times the President  said “uh.”   Meanwhile, my son and I exchanged knowing glances when Pres. Obama said he has created 5.1 million private sector jobs over his first term.  That one is going on the report.

But for most people, judging from the endless roll of tweets, the Presidential debate is about style, not substance. So as I slipped off to bed, all the figures from the mythical tax cut plans faded away, and my thought was “You know, I I think the President did say “uh” more than Romney did.

What did you think of last night's presidential debate?