Why not use technonology in the debates?

Do you have any idea how much that would confuse McCain?!?!?

Technology and McCain dont go well together.

Great idea!

double true @chris

John can have Cindy’s help, it would be cute to see them working together. Or he can use old fashioned paper based charts. But he might have trouble dodging a question when it’s in bold block letters behind him.

People our age, (as I mistakely said in another question) need different glasses for close-up and wall screens. I took a course recently; ideas were on wall screen, computer screen was in front of me. It was bifocals off, reading glasses on, off, on the entire course. I learned almost nothing.

I think that while it’s a good idea in theory it would be terrible in practice. It would mean that the debates would almost be pre-rehearsed otherwise you wouldn’t be able to prepare enough things thoroughly. Furthermore, can you imagine if something got hooked up to the net with that? I guarantee you that script kiddies galore would be trying to hammer at that. hell I’d probably take a poke at it. that’d be funny as hell! see my face in ascii behind them with a vote for Ron Paul above it.

I like the idea of having the question on a screen. Answers would prove more problematic.

The other problem is that then who can get into that system on the sides of the debaters? Let’s say it is a closed system, who’s to say that someone from the McCain or Obama camp doesn’t setup a honeypot and then reroute the traffic to make the questions appeal more to one candidate or another? Or they get the questions prematurely and can whisper into the ear of the candidate what’s coming up so they can write a note and prepare. The abuse inherent within computers would make me shy away from it even though I think it’d be sweet.

Good points, tWrex.

I think the question behind them, and charts(that the candidates provide) for topics that are certain to come up would be a good start. If the host of the debate managed the content and the candidates had the opportunity to challenge, I think things could stay pretty fair.

Google has great app for opening up the debate to the public, not just asking questions, but voting for the questions you want asked. I love Google, again and again

Ability to use technology does not make one a great leader. My grandfather was a great leader and knew very little about technology. All nerds know technology and most would be horrible leaders of a country. I guess my point is it doesn’t prove that useful of a tool for off the cuff debate.

I agree with @gooch,

The president should know about leadership – and the majorly important issues. This is not to trivialize such immense issues as net neutrality and the like; but for someone to be as old as one of our candidates is, there should be no surprise that he is not hip on tech.

This is what advisors are for.

The one thing I have against tech in debates (as far as that Al Gore TV channel goes), is information overload. Random comments (often skewed to one particular side of a debate) seem neither fair nor helpful.

Could you imagine twitter in the background, constantly updating? Like twistori . You’d see:
“I love Palin’s hot bod.”
“I hate seeing all these comments.”
“I believe McCain is older than Father Time.”
“I think Obama’s a dumbass.”
“I believe I can fly and it’d be great if the stock market would follow suit.”
“I feel like no one is answering the questions.”
“I wish they’d just SHUT UP already.”