: Hi, Folks -

: Found here:
: https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/09/21/hillary-trump-debates-resurrection-of-iq/

: =====

: Hillary-Trump debates: resurrection of IQ
: By Jon Rappoport
: We are approaching the 2016 Presidential debates. Hillary and
: Trump.
: So I want to remind you of another time, another debate
: format, another capacity of the public mind. Way back when.

: Consider the 1858 Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas
: face-off—when apparently citizens still had a semblance of
: intelligence. Both men were running for a US Senate seat in
: Illinois. In those days, state legislatures chose US
: Senators.
: But the issue in the debates was slavery, so the interest was
: intense and it was national. Here was the agreed-upon
: format—get this: seven debates in seven Illinois towns over
: the course of three weeks; in each debate, the opening
: candidate would speak for 60 minutes, his opponent would
: speak for 90 minutes, and then the first candidate would
: return for 30 minutes.
: The debates drew large crowds. Chicago newspapers had
: stenographers in each town. The stenos took down every
: word, and newspapers across the nation printed, in full,
: the texts.
: Those were debates. No moderator. The men talked. And talked.
: They weren’t asked questions.
: They didn’t interrupt each other with insults and wise
: cracks.
: They didn’t shift from issue to issue.
: And when they were done in each town, denizens of the media
: weren’t around to weigh in on how “Presidential” they
: sounded and looked.
: Current TV debates preclude the possibility of something
: dangerous happening. For example, in a real contest,
: suppose the single issue was Syria and a candidate stepped
: up to the podium and said:
: “During my remarks in the next ninety minutes, with no
: interruptions—yes, we’re going back to a much older
: format—I’ll be the making the case that the current US
: administration has essentially created ISIS, in part for
: the purpose of overthrowing the present government of
: Syria. Consider this fact alongside our declared ‘war’
: against ISIS. This is more than an outrageous
: contradiction. It’s an intentional deception, and a crime
: of the highest order, considering what ISIS has been
: carrying out in terms of the destruction of human life.
: Now, I’m not just saying these things. I have evidence in
: the form of documents, which I’ll be explaining in detail.
: Some of these documents and reports are already public.
: Others are not. I also have statements, on the record, from
: US military officers and Pentagon executives. So bear with
: me, stay with me, I’m going to take this one step at a
: time…”
: There are many ways to keep this sort of thing from
: happening. The easiest way: never let a true debate occur.
: And just in case you think the American public is so addled
: they wouldn’t be able to follow such a presentation, I have
: a secret for you. At first, it would be a problem, yes. But
: if more and more true debates took place, a change would
: bleed in. People would begin to wake up. They’d find
: themselves, bit by bit, intensely interested in the
: proceedings.
: After all, part of the reason the public is brainwashed
: springs directly from the fact that so few politicians
: explore any issue in depth. Reverse that trend and the mind
: begins to reassemble itself.
: How about something like this? Crossing party lines, Bernie
: Sanders and Rand Paul debated, seven times, as Lincoln and
: Douglas had, the following: “What is socialism, and is it
: good for America?”
: If either candidate had been unable to do more than spout
: vapid generalities and programmatic fumes during his seven
: hours, it would surely have become obvious.
: How about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, in the same
: format, debating the question: “Describe in detail the best
: immigration policy for America.” If their seven events turn
: into a Niagara of opposing non-sequiturs and self-inflating
: jive, so be it. It’ll be on parade for all to see.
: People wonder whether Hillary can get from her van to the
: podium without a golf cart and three assistants. Forget
: about it. This would be seven debates in three weeks,
: during which she would speak for a total of 630 minutes.
: That would be real.
: She and Trump would have to lay out their positions in full.
: The public would have to pay attention. And if they couldn’t
: or wouldn’t, so be it. Maybe next time they would.
: Pandering to the lowest common denominator of intelligence is
: a grotesque side-show that has taken center stage.
: The point is to aim high and force things.
: Bring back meaningful debate.
: Get used to the long form again.
: Push this nation up, not down.
: I would certainly like to see Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow,
: and Bill O’Reilly compelled to analyze each of seven full
: debates. That alone would be worth the price of admission.
: Even more thrilling, let Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party
: candidate for President, do the full seven debates against,
: well, anyone. The Libertarians are supposed to be true
: intellectuals. Well, let’s see IQ on parade, as their
: leading nitwit engages on an issue of vital interest. Then
: cut up his presentation and make a sit-com out of it.
: Let’s have a few dozen intrepid college professors tell their
: classes: “We’re going to take apart all seven, long-form,
: Lincoln-Douglas-type debates between Hillary Clinton and
: Donald Trump. Piece by piece, step by step. I don’t want to
: hear any nonsense about ‘being triggered’ or ‘needing safe
: spaces’. If you can’t handle it, you get an F for the
: course. If you know nothing about traditional logical
: fallacies, you’d better bone up quickly, because I have a
: feeling we’re going to be exploring those fallacies. And
: don’t bother feeding me vapid generalities and slogans when
: you write your papers. You’re on the hook. I expect you to
: be alert and smart. If that’s beyond your capacity, you
: shouldn’t be here. Go back to high school or middle school
: or wherever it was you checked out of your education. Play
: time is over. Whining is over. This is college…”

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