[Politics] Don Brash is Walter Mitty

Watching TV after it has already been reported in th news is an interesting experience. You sometimes wonder if everyone is inhabiting the same world.

I was sad enough to tape the election debate on TV One, and didn't get to watch it till after all the hoohah about Don Brash the gentleman. The question seemed to be whether Don was capable of being a good leader if he was polite to ladies.

I had already had some foreshadowing that TV debates sometimes cause divergent realities when reading the Listener article on interviewers. One guy pointed out noone got to see the worm in the infamous debate that won Dunne his bizzilion seats in the last election. Apparently the worm was only added at tenish that night to give emphasis to the political commentators rants. But enough media watched THAT show to convince everyone in NZ that there had been a worm on the live debate.

Divergent realities. Just like Fight Club (read the book. It is good).

Watching the ACTUAL debate (as opposed to the one made up by Don Brash), one is left wondering whether the media actually bothers to watch these things, or just listens to other media dudes. Don Brash was not polite. He spoke over, interupted and insulted Helen Clark on numerous occassions. Not to mention the audience's rudeness.

They were a fifty-fifty mix of Labour and National voters. And as soon as they were announced, the National guys started cheering. They were loud and annoying the whole way through. The Labour guys eventually got in on it, and the debate probably suffered for this ridiculousness. It is the same in parliament.

Simon Power, the National guy who was once being groomed for greatness, spends every second making appropriate sounds. When a National MP speaks, he's clapping and laughing, when a Labour MP speaks he' booing and yelling. I thought he was an intellectually handicapped adult they'd let in to fill the seats in case TV3 decided to take some more shots of the whole place. But no, Simon Power is just a dumb wank.

Helen talked over poor Don more than he did her. This seemed to be because Helen had memorised not only her parties policy, but Don's too. So she was always correcting him about exact policies. Don was in no way "polite" to Helen, so it seems odd that the media began focusing on whether politeness was a virtue in our modern age (including a Stuff poll).

Don should grow up and admit Helen is smarter than him. Just cause your mummy dresses you like a geek, doesn't make you a smart guy. If a girl kicks your ass on national TV, don't go back there. Don't give her the chance to humiliate you again. Quit. Grow some Kiwifruit.

I'm not voting for Helen, but anyone could see Don was way out of his depth. I find it sickening he can't just admit that and move on. In some ways it reminds you of those bygone days people remember with false fondness. Guys that would let a lady through the door first (and beat their wives). It was safe to walk the streets at night (and men could rape their wives and not be charged, as there was no crime in raping someone you were married to). Where you didn't hear about these horrible things you see in the newspapers these days (because you didn't hear about them...).

Go Don. Take us back to those halcyon days.