The Show Must Go On: Political Debates

To me, and probably to much of the voting public, the presidential debates are not largely a matter of what the candidates say, but rather the show they put on while saying it. This year was the first year that I was a witness to the great production that is our nations debate system, and i was not disappointed, with one minor exception. Neither one of the candidates said anything at all to sway my vote, a fact that i found rather odd as i continued through the three debates. 

I fully expected to come out of my debate watching spree with a feeling of enlightenment and the knowledge that i am a completely informed voter, but that just wasn't the case. What i did gain out of watching the debates is the realization that our nation judges not on the basis of what you say, but how and when you say it.  For the most part, we are all looking to be entertained, or in a way, be courted by one of these presidents. Through wit, sense of proper timing, respectable presences, and vocal tone, we judge the candidates. In each debate i found myself trying to figure out why so many Americans watch all three. The candidates were simply repeating themselves over and over with responses that were clearly rehearsed and perfected, and at times, like Mitt Romney's tip-toeing responses in the final debate, completely refused to touch on the main points outlined in the question presented to them. What we are really doing as watchers is looking for instances where the candidates mess up. 

It occurred to me that the real reason for having the debates, other than to attempt to solidify the positions on the many political issues, is to give undecided or previously uninformed voters the chance to figure out who these people are. Even if you have been following the political race up until that point, as an undecided voter, you probably haven't been closely getting to know how the candidates act in a setting that makes them appear presidential. In prior circumstances you hear the candidates, in essence, being cheerleaders for their views and themselves. In a debate format we are able to see their intelligence and quick thinking come into play, and that can have an important affect on undecided voters. 

It is clear to me that for the most part the voting public aren't listening as closely to what the candidates are saying, but instead dissecting the way they hold themselves and making sure that whoever they vote for, they aren't voting for someone who appears stupid. Ultimately, the debates are a glorified beauty pageant where we as citizens are able to see the candidates prance around in their finest forms as they stretch their mental muscles, and when it comes to the interview section i really only care about how charismatic a candidate appears on screen when in the end both candidates are verbally running in circles on a hamster wheel.