Debate Topics?

Atrios and I are scheduled to have a friendly debate on The Majority Report (Janeane Garofalo’s Air America show) tomorrow night.

We’ve both realized that we’re in the middle of an unusually slow news period and agree that the Swift Boat Vets, Cambodia, and McGreevey are likely to have been done to death by now. Any suggestions on things that might make for good radio?

FILED UNDER: Media, OTB History, , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. NS says:

    If you got a kung fu dude, a karate dude, a judo dude and tae kwon do dude in ring who would kick who’s ass? That should use up an hour.

  2. dc says:

    Well it’s not like there is a war going on that you could talk about.

  3. Kevin says:

    Perhaps that’s why she’s having you both on the show – they’re out of ideas too…

  4. Bill K says:

    How about bloggers at conventions. That hasn’t been beat to death right? Bush’s National Guard Service?

    In seriousness, how about talking about what would happen if there was an electoral tie – – which isn’t too far fetched (West Virginia and New Hampshire gonig flipping to Kerry) or Kerry’s position on if he would have voted for the war knowing what he knows now (people on the left see it as pretty clear, people on the right think he isn’t giving a straight answer).

  5. La Femme Crickita says:

    Bounced checks?

  6. cbk says:

    How about blogger versus mainstream and bloggers right versus bloggers left.

    OR the contention that the msm is liberal whereas blogger open up the field of opinion and bias.

  7. tom says:

    How about Sen. Kerry’s voting record?

  8. Moe Lane says:

    Friendly, huh? Talk about the Olympics, then. Get him to agree that it’s way cool that Iraq’s soccer team has gotten this far, and that it’d be cooler for them to get even farther.

  9. Joseph Marshall says:

    Now would be a good time to assess the accomplishments of the Bush Administration as a whole and its success in achieving valuable gains in foreign policy and domestic health and well being.

    It would be interesting to think about it that globally before the Republican Party tells its story to the voters.

  10. McGehee says:

    Whether good ratings indicate good radio, and vice versa.

  11. Bithead says:

    Getting Kerry to sign the (beep) 180, and release his records. Are we really supposed to accept his word that what he has posted on his website is the truth… without any verification? Would Kerry’s people accept Mr. Bush simply posting hs record on his website without any public inspection of his records? Why should Mr. Kerry expect this of us, then?

    He demandined a complete release of The President’s service records, and the President complied. Should we not expect the same fromMr. Kerry?

    If what he has posted is in fact all of it, that being shown would boost Kerry by large amounts, and discredit his detractors. Yet he won’t do it.

    Why?

    I think we all KNOW why.

  12. LJD says:

    Last might a family member asked me if I was “still for Bush”, while shaking her head. To her credit, she is a special ed teacher, deeply entrenched in the liberal mindset.

    I answered her affirmatively, adding that, I will continue to be, until some one offers some substantiated evidence that he has done any of the terrible things the liberals claim he has done.

    Her only answer was that he doesn’t speak well, and does not have the capacity to think.
    !!!????!!!????!!???!!?!?!?!?!

    I’m tired of being labeled as a Neocon, among other things for my political view. I am tired seeing the President dragged through the mud, with arguments no more reaching than “He’s just stupid” or “He’s a liar”, or whatever lame unsubstantiated claim the lefties come up with. Especially those who do not, or will not take the time to listen to press conferences, town hall meetings, etc. where the President lays out his plan.

    So let’s have this Presidential debate now. How about settling, once and for all, and point-by-point, what they feel he has done that is so terrible. I would love to see some real evidence that things are not going well under this administration. Sorry, Michael Moore, MoveOn, and the Kerry Campaign are NOT acceptable sources of information!

  13. Pete says:

    Maybe I’m late in on this (more than likely, I’m sure) but what about the video on this site: http://www.kerryoniraq.com/

    Or: Taking Fox News out of the equation – what is the reasoning behind the major left-slant across all of the different media venues? “dc” was right, it’s not like Bush hasn’t added viewership for these folks .. everyone likes to watch a good war, and discuss it. Hell, Bush has been a godsend to cable news programs.

    Or, how ’bout looking into the deep, dark mystery of “When was Jeanine EVER funny?”

    Ok .. I’ll be quiet, now.

  14. Laurence says:

    Three topics of discussion:
    1. Why does the President of the United States consider it acceptable to detain U.S. citizens without charges, indefinitely, without a lawyer or even a court appearance? Aren’t these the principles upon which the nation was founded?
    2. Why is this administration so willing to borrow and spend? How long will it be before this ends in catastrophe?
    3. Will it be possible for the next President of the U.S. to restore the dignity of our country and our standing in the world? Or is that now lost forever?