Perhaps the proximity of the Democratic debate to Halloween tempted the moderators at MSNBC. Maybe they have just run out of questions to ask candidates. Either way, the nadir of presidential debates came late in the show, when a mainstream media moderator felt compelled to ask about UFOs:
In the weird last minutes of the debate (the period, by the way, when The Fix made it onto the basketball court in high school) Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) gave us a highlight.
Asked about the statement by actress Shirley MacLaine that Kucinich had seen a UFO at her house, Kucinich said that he had. He quickly sought to clarify — an “unidentified flying object” he said holding up his hand — but man oh man.
The big news tonight: DENNIS KUCINICH HAS SEEN A UFO.
No, the big news from the debate is that MSNBC thinks UFOs are so important that it has to ask about them in a presidential debate. Had they simply wanted to confirm Kucinich’s supposed sighting of one, the network could have just asked for an interview. Instead, rather than asking a question about policy in a tight time frame, the network of Keith Olbermann decided that flying saucers and little green men took priority over trade policy with Columbia, AIDS assistance in Africa, the proper size of the American Navy, the Law of the Sea Treaty, and so on.
Brian Williams and Tim Russert tried passing the question around the room, only to get shot down by Barack Obama, who preferred to talk about life on Earth. At least someone on the stage understood how ridiculous MSNBC has become. However, with the tragic collapse of the Weekly World News, someone has to cater to the seven people in the nation who took it seriously.
This question clearly indicates we’ve run out of gas for these debates. We have nothing left to ask, or no one wants to ask anything of substance. “Sighting the UFOs” can now replace the hoary “jumping the shark” in the lexicon of American pop culture, and both apply to MSNBC’s political coverage.
We finally got someone to ask HRC if she supports Elliot Spitzer’s plan to give driver’s licenses to illegals. And Hillary waffled in her response. This could be a good issue for the Repubs to jump on.
I’ve seen a UFO — it was a flying object that I couldn’t identify. Doesn’t mean that I believe it was a spaceship filled with little green men.
Fortunately Kucinich has no shot at becoming president.
So you all think that over the course of a two hour debate, there isn’t room to slip in one or two “light” questions to break the tension, show a different, more human side of the candidates, or cover a controversial or “oddball” topic? This is a sign of “jumping the shark”? Sorry, but it sounds like most of the Right is just so angered by MSNBC that you’ll throw pretty much anything you can find at them just to see what sticks.
On the one hand, Shirley MacLaine is one of the zanier people out there and always has been. And the topic of UFOs is controversial enough that some people will see it as “unbalanced” etc. She put out a book and cites Kucinich in it. I would hardly say that the question is outside the bounds of things that people would like a potential presidential candidate answer for.
On the other hand, part of Kucinich’s answer was certainly correct. More people in the United States think they’ve seen a UFO than support the current administration. I’ve seen a UFO myself. I don’t know what it was. (That’s why the “U” stands for unidentified.) Could have been some sort of aircraft under unusual observation conditions. Might have been some natural weather phenomenon. But I couldn’t swear with 100% assurance that it wasn’t some kind of “flying saucer from little green men.”
It’s a topic of debate in this country. Many people are interested in it. The question was far from jumping the shark and the reaction to the application of the question on these pages is puzzling to be sure.
Richardson and Roswell
From First Read: Seriously, Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, called on the government to declassify all Roswell documents. He brought it up himself when Chris Matthews was joking about Kucinich’s UFO answer. He said the government hasn’t “come c…
I agree. No one at any of the debates has the nerve to ask the simplest, most serious, most telling question of all (imo),
Senator/Congressman/Mayor X, every President in American history has had to give orders that meant certain death for some American servicemen. For the past 62 years, Presidents have had to be prepared to issue orders that could unleash nuclear weapons. The US military goes to great ends to make sure that those tasked with carrying out the order to use nuclear weapons are psychologically prepared and qualified to carry out such an order. Are you prepared to give such an order, an order to use one or more nuclear weapons and potentially kill millions of people yourself?
Ask that question of Ron Paul, see how it smokes his oath as a doctor
Ask it of Dennis Kucinich and see how his Department of Peace is moot; how he’d single-handedly disarm the nation by removing deterrence.
Ask it of Mitt Romney and see if he bows to his lawyers.
Ask it of Gov Huckabee and see how he reacts as a pastor.
Ask it of John Edwards and see if he goes on and on about protecting 1 of the 2 Americas.
Don’t bother asking Hillary. She’d give two answers, neither of which is real, and both of which are unbelievable.
Don’t bother asking John McCain. There’s no doubt he’d do it. He’s the only one who’s already killed people.
I would be interested in seeing Barack Obama’s answer though.
Yeah, I know they’d all dance and nuiance, but some wouldn’t, and in a crowded herd, the bold, decisive, brave, committed, and clear will lead.
Naaaaaaah, let’s ask about UFO’s instead of whether or not these candidates have the mettle to send people to die, or the committment to kill for our nation.
Wow, first Jimmy Carter all those years ago, and now Dennis Kookcinich!
In my entire life I’ve never heard a conservative claim to have seen a flying saucer. Hey lefties, the reason so many of you think you’re seeing these things is because of the mind-alerting psychotropic drugs you guys take all the time.
In retrospect — MSM may has done us a favor ….
Hopefully everyone (including MSM) will be seeing a new classification of UFO’s in the next few months:
The CCC (Calling Clinton’s Con)
And it’s about time.
There have been far too many “debates” too far in advance of the primaries. They aren’t even really debates, just the same old questions and pretty much the same old answers over and over again. Asking the UFO question was at least a little different, if completely irrelevant.
… Keith Olbermann decided that flying saucers and little green men took priority over trade policy with Columbia …
I don’t see what’s so important about trade with “The Little Nut in The Big Apple” ™. I would say trade with the nation of Colombia is far more important.
More than likely, the silliness or flabbiness of the questions in the debates is a reflection that the moderators themselves tend to be shallow-thinking talking-head personalities and the newsroom staff supporting their “research” haven’t much curiosity, education, or background expertise to go beyond headline sound bite. When news became infotainment, all adult discourse was compromised. (Besides, everyone knows that “The View” and Ellen DeGeneres and Perky Katie have all of the “facts” that any “informed” voters need at their disposal. Right?)
Debate Overkill
I give some of the last words on UFOs and Presidential candidates to Ed Morrissey:
No, the big news from the debate is that MSNBC thinks UFOs are so important that it has to ask about them in a presidential debate. Had they simply wanted to confirm Kuc…
Bill Richardson y chimed in that the government should release all the records of ‘Area 54’, by which I assume he meant Area 51, where the military is supposedly keeping the remains of a ’50s (?) flying saucer and alien.
With this one stroke, he has probably gotten votes of every certified kook, and probably those of all the ‘X Files’ fans.
/Mr Lynn
Kucinich IS a UFO. 🙂