Great American Debate (With a Poll!)

Hard to believe that’s not necessarily an oxymoronic construction, I know, despite the terminology having been debased by countless so-called “debates” as part of the contrived circus/televised horse-race that is the primary political process in the USA.

This past weekend, ABC News staged an ideological face-off, ostensibly about the proper role of government in people’s lives, between conservative columnist George Will and Republican congressman Paul Ryan on the one hand and liberal economist Robert Reich and retiring Democrat congressman Barney Frank on the other. The results were… at times, surprisingly interesting.

If you have the patience to sit through the whole thing (despite the multiple videos, it’s not actually that long), take a moment to cast a vote in the following poll as to who you think/feel “won” the debate:

 

Ex-Dear Leader Hysteria

I tweeted this earlier in the day, but the scenes just keep replaying though my head with annoying frequency for some disturbing reason. In one respect, it’s difficult not to simply scoff at the ridiculous demonstrations of hysterical “grief” over the death of the demented little totalitarian freak that was Kim Kim Jong-il. At the same time, however, it’s also a truly horrifying expression of the depraved effects a lifetime of being subjected to state propaganda and systemic intellectual repression can have on people.

And now the North Koreans have a “Great Successor” to carry on the mantle of this deeply bizarre, quasi-religious, communist regime. Interesting days ahead…