In a parliamentary system of government such as that, which is in Great Britain has a tradition called, "Question Time" with the Prime Minister. In England the PM goes before Parliament from time to time to stand before the leaders and answer questions from the opposition about his policies. However, he is allowed to vigorously defend his answers in these exchanges. As well as hear questions from supporters too. It is usually televised and let's the people actually see their leaders working through policies instead of just closed door meetings. I like the idea because it keeps politicians talking, which increases the chances of shit getting done.It was some of the most compelling television that I've seen since the campaign debates in 2008 but this kicked ass more than those stuffy, well-scripted debates. We like to see our leaders debating, discussing and otherwise doing their job!! So, it is in that light that I hope we see more of these "Question Times." The next one though I hope is with the Republican Minority Leader taking the questions. I thought this was some good analysis of the event:
Debating a law professor is kind of foolish: the Republican House Caucus has managed to turn Obama's weakness -- his penchant for nuance -- into a strength. Plenty of Republicans asked good and probing questions, but Mike Pence, among others, found their arguments simply demolished by the president. (By the way: can we stop with the Obama needs a teleprompter jokes?) More than the State of the Union -- or on top of the State of the Union -- this may be a pivotal moment for the future of the presidential agenda on Capitol Hill. (Democrats are loving this. Chris Hayes, The Nation's Washington bureau chief, tweeted that he hadn't liked Obama more since the inauguration.)TPJ: Yeah, I thought this was the best I've seen him since the campaign actually. And the State of the Union was well done too. I think he's back on his game and it's about time. It really was a strong showing and showed that he still has a strong command of the issues. It has gone a long way toward building up my confidence in him again. Where was this Obama all last year??? I hope this Obama doesn't retreat back into a cerebral morass that leaves him lost in his thoughts rather than on the offensive. To view the full debate click on this sentence.
---End of Transmission---
3 comments:
Obama has never looked more Presidential than he did last night, walking into a virtual Lion's Den, and displaying his uncanny ability to field loaded questions, to patiently sit through talking points and not get ruffled, then to display an uncanny ability to address questions point by point. I totally agree that even if the majority of the public doesn't agree with Obama, they owe it to themselves to see these types of exchanges. I wish there could be more.
The most important events of the evening were the arrests of doctors outside the WWE brawl who were trying to bring attention to single payer.
Bayou Cane:
I wish there would be more of these too. From both sides.
Post a Comment