Debate parties

When Michelle was in law school, we routinely met with friends to watch the debates for the 2004 election. The events were great – you pack a room full of smart people who are drinking beer and know more about politics than some of the candidates, then you try to make out what the candidates actually say over the live auto-correction and fact checking. At one of the debates, a dog sensed the negative energy towards the incumbent candidate and started barking and jumping up at the screen while that candidate was speaking.

This election season was much more subdued. We’ve watched or heard all the debates and now with Tivo, we can pause and discuss both fallacy and history while the debate is going on. THere was still beer, but by a large part, there was less yelling at the TV. We’ve caught up with many of the same friends from 4 years ago several days later, and the analysis, while delayed, is just as good if not better.

Last night’s debate was by far the most interesting of the 3. I was hesitant to watch it since I’ve known who I was voting for now for over a year, and frankly, I’m exhausted of politics. The only reason I’ve been keeping up though is what I would call “morbid curiosity.”