Any high school student who debated like Trump would get an 'F'.

[triron]

[TheRealNorth]

1. The problem is the MSM now grades on "Tone"

The MSM is full of superficial dimwits and I guess judging on the content of what the candidates say is too much work.

[triron]

3. So is our country unfortunately.

[Doodley]

2. Agreed. And any teachers (like Fox News) that gave him top marks should be fired.

[MineralMan]

4. The Debate Club was the smallest student organization

in my high school back in the 1960s. Very few people participated in the debate team. Those few were the only ones who knew anything about formal debating. Nobody else cared.

I know this because I was a debate nerd myself, along with being a band geek and a science geek.

The same tiny percentage applies to the audiences for presidential debates. People react to debates emotionally, just as they react to almost everything else. Nobody grades debates, unfortunately. Nobody cares about the rules of debating or about debating itself.

That's the truth of it.

[CincyDem]

8. Damn MM - we lived the same life 10 years apart...

debate team, band (oboe/sasaphone), science (and math) clubs.

What did ya play ?

[MineralMan]

9. I was the oboe player - moved from clarinet.

Also drum major in the band.

I was a busy, busy kid in high school. There was always something going on with music or debate or something else. Kept me busy, but not out of trouble.

[CincyDem]

10. Haha - I missed being drum major by 1-2 votes. Don't run across many oboe players. :-) n/t

[MineralMan]

14. No vote was taken. The Drum Major's uniform fit me,

and the old drum major was graduating, so I was it. Oboes don't march, anyhow, and I was a smart kid, so the band director, who hated marching band, handed over the uniform, a book on marching band routines, and said, "Have at it." So, I did. Turned out pretty well after I put what I had learned in the previous two years together with some book learning. In my senior year, I designed all of the half-time show routines from scratch. They were all humor-based and a little sarcastic in nature, but the band loved them, and so did the game audiences.

As for the oboe, I discovered that playing an odd instrument pretty well was a ticket to all sorts of honor bands, along with playing in other groups, as well. I quit playing after high school, but picked it back up in my 30s and enjoyed playing with all sorts of bands and orchestras that needed an oboe player. Great fun!

[CincyDem]

16. I started oboe in 4th grade. Got me my HS music scholarship.

Marched with Sax most years - one year they needed a drummer so I was recruited.

And you're right about being an oboe player...honors band was great but for me, it was high school musicals. I think there were something like 4 oboe players, maybe 5 across all the high schools in my area and none of the others could double sax (or anything else)...so I usually got the first call. Was playing 3-4 every year in HS. Fun way to get invited into the local girls school groups too.

Who woulda thought a double reed could be so useful !

[triron]

12. I was as well (on the debate club). I realize debate club activities weren't graded per se.

Really referring to a hypothetical classroom debate (of which there were few).
We really had to know something about what we debated though.
We couldn't just make shit up like Trump.

[mnhtnbb]

13. It was evident when the moderator finished her opening remarks by telling the audience

to "enjoy the show". The show? WTF, I thought we were going to watch a debate! Not that a debate couldn't be entertaining, but I wouldn't expect entertainment to be its primary goal.

I had an immediate reaction of lowered expectations due to her comment.

[MineralMan]

15. Yes, they are a show of sorts, aren't they.

They're never formal debates.

[Blue Owl]

5. It's amazing how these jackasses get away with it

Another fine example was Kavanaugh weeping about how much he liked beer at his SCOTUS hearings. In what universe would any of the rest of us get a job if we acted this way during a job interview/screening???

[unblock]

6. He's such an obvious failure and loser in so many ways.

The focus on Donnie is itself a scandal. The real focus should be on those who chose to install him and prop him up.

Even now, the media continues to treat him like hey, he's the president and a normal candidate from one of the two major parties who happens to be trailing somewhat in the polls, instead of he's a incompetent, delusional dictator wannabe with contempt for nearly all Americans whose 4 years have already been an unmitigated disaster and who, given 4 more years, would completely destroy out constitution and our federal bureaucracy and would effectively end what democracy we have left and make it easy for putin to completely control us.

[LakeArenal]

7. Also F in Civics, History, Marriage and Family...

[triron]

11. Yep.