This is real. This is the supposedly liberal network.
Matt Yglesias at Vox:
Viewed as merely a competition, political competition is (or at least traditionally has been) on the dull side, and you’d be better off watching a replacement-level TV show than a news broadcast. But years of front-loading the idea that campaigns are basically a form of not-so-entertaining reality television has brought forward a major party nominee who, whatever else you want to say about him, was a very successful reality TV host.
But the "winner" of this show will sit in the Oval Office and make decisions with enormous impacts on the lives of hundreds of millions of people. We’re wondering if one contestant can communicate her policy ideas more clearly and with more jokes, and we’re wondering if the other contestant can chill out on the constant lying and bother to formulate any ideas at all.
Trump knows how to work TV. His entire public persona is based on his ability to manipulate the media. And the lowest bar conceivable for a presidential candidate’s debate performance is proof that he’s still doing it.
As the media pretend to tell us what the expectations are for the debates, keep in mind that they are creating these expectations. They are inventing them out of thin air.
To any thinking person, the expectations should be the same for both Clinton and Trump, and that’s to prove that they would do the best job of being president. Because on January 20, one of these two people will be president. Does the media take the job seriously? Do political pundits take politics seriously? These are serious questions, and the answers are, at best, in doubt.
In the spirit of MSNBC:
Clinton's tasks tonight:
1. Unify Quantum Mechanics & Relativity. 2. All answers in Shakespeare quotes. 3. Smile constantly but look real.
Trump's tasks tonight.
1. Show up. 2. Don't projectile vomit. 3. Breathe.
Because it’s easy to act as if the presidency isn’t a serious job, or the outcome of this election won’t have serious consequences.
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