UPDATE: Cliff Schecter himself weighs in, way down in comments.
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I was struck in Al Rodger's recommended diary how much Liz Cheney tries to use the standard Republican "debating" tactic against Lawrence O'Donnell: constant interruption, fillibuster, and whining.
O'Donnell doesn't do a bad job in the face of this -- he's a pretty seasoned talking head, and capable of holding his own better than most. However, it's beyond frustrating to see how often this tactic works.
Here's a little primer for Democrats who are considering going on TV to "debate" politics with Republicans.
(more)
- Understand what it is. It's NOT a debate in any classic sense, which is why I put the obnoxious quotation marks above. It's not even a debate in the sense that Presidential debates are debates. At least there are kinda-sorta rules for those, even if they're geared towards protecting both candidates from getting off message.
- What IS it, then? It's TV. It's theater. Show biz, really. You have to understand that what its strengths are, what its limits are, and what its rules are.
- First, you don't have much time. TV is bound to the clock, and it's merciless. You will always have less time than you thought. You don't have time to present a thesis. Prepare yourself for that. Get a succinct message, and yes, talking points. You don't have to LIKE that, but if you're going on TV that's simply the medium. If you can't accept that, don't go on TV.
- Realize that most of the time, you're not there for a polite discussion. Networks want CONFLICT. They may have some noble parallel motives of discussing issues pertinent to our country, but please accept the fact that they're looking for a battle.
- Give them a battle. Republicans understand that, and come loaded for bear. Their philosophy sucks, they suck, and they're shameless, but they take their streetfighting tactics seriously. Be ready for a streetfight.
- What does this mean? It means, for Christ's sake, don't let them hog all the airtime or get you off your points just because you don't want to appear impolite. For example: the excellent Washington Post writer Eugene Robinson has been going on TV lately to debate, and... frankly, he's not very good. He lets himself get railroaded, talked over, gets too digressive, and doesn't hit his marks. Wonderful writer, and he might do well in a more polite arena like the PBS Newshour (though even that has show signs of Crossfire-ism lately). But when he goes into the TV "debate" arena, he doesn't do very well.
- Who does well? This guy!
Watch Cliff Schecter in 2006 and 2007:
I haven't seen Cliff Schecter around much lately. It's made me paranoid that his constant dismantling of Republicans was considered unacceptable by corporate America, but I have no idea if that's true or not. There is plenty to be learned from Cliff, though:
- One thing Cliff demonstrates: DO NOT BE FILLIBUSTERED. This is an actual tactic practiced by Republicans -- keep yammering away, depending on a sense of "fairness" on the both the host's and opponent's part. The shamelessness usually pays off. They blabber on until stopped, and usually get 80% of the airtime. And when interrupted, they whine "Let me finish" or some such thing. (See: Ann Coulter.) It means they get their message out, and you don't.
- Another thing Cliff shows: be funny. Smile occasionally while you duke it out. A happy warrior wins. Cliff seems like he's having the time of his life beating up on Republicans. You can, too!
- Also: don't let the host get away with favoring the Republican. You're on TV, you don't have to sit there like a potted planet. They're just talking heads, not federal judges, and most of them suck -- either biased, stupid, or some combination. Don't be afraid to throw an elbow at them, if needed. OR reward their good behavior, thanking them for being reasonable.
I could go on, but the real lesson is this: for better or worse, you're stepping into an arena of not only political, but theatrical combat. You have to learn the particulars if you're interested in advancing your agenda.
Republicans have gotten out an entirely unreasonable, un-American agenda over the years by seeming "strong," "no-nonsense," and "in control" against toothless Democrats on TV. There's a psychodrama playing out there: who is dominating, and who deserves to lead?
You must come armed not only with excellent arguments, but the means to deliver those arguments, smack down the counterarguments and lies, AND make it work in a very specific setting.
This might not be everyone's cup of tea, and if it's not yours, that's fine. There's plenty of other good work to do. And not everyone likes those shows, including me... personally, I can barely stand to watch the political chat / debate shows.
BUT if you're a Democrat who wants to help our agenda, and you're going on TV to do so, learn how. There's plenty of ways to make it fit your own style -- I mean, not everyone can or should be Cliff Schecter -- but you can't go in expecting a polite roundtable.
It's long past time that Democrats understood that.