Basically yes. I think having to stick to message and support ideology over facts puts one at a disadvantage. The reason the 16 year old wants to debate Bachmann is that Bachmann has said a lot of crazy things. The reason Bachman says all of those crazy things is because it is expected from her base. If she is in a debate she is going to have to defend all that. The 16 year old on the other hand has no constituency and so can stick to the facts.
It’s all part of my plan to become Governor of Awesomevania.
If Bachmann (or Obama or Politician X) were just a legal scholar and the debate restricted to facts, the student would get slaughtered. But having to phrase all answers in politician-speak would hobble anyone to the point of being unable to win a serious debate with anyone not so hobbled.
Which is what everyone else has already said, so in conclusion I welcome you all to Absolutely Rightville and hereby declare the first of June to be Free Cookie Day.
I sympathize with her concern for being dismissed because of her sex. High schoolers are dicks. I applaud her for throwing a challenge to the stupidity of Bachmann on the grounds that Bachmann saying stupid things gets morphed into all women politicians are stupid.
I agree Bachmann will ignore it - there’s no upside. “Encouraging the political aspirations of a young woman” is not going to measure up against “stomping on a high schooler” or “being beaten by a high schooler”.
Still, it’s a gutsy move for Myers. Not that debating the Constitution with a Congresswoman has anything to do with her high school presidency, but it shows moxy.
I don’t see why. I think it’s pretty obvious that Bachmann isn’t going to debate a high school kid. And Myers picked Bachmann because she thought Bachmann was a soft target, rightly or wrongly.
If Myers thinks she’s hot shit as a debater, why isn’t she challenging Hilary Clinton or someone like that?
Regards,
Shodan
I doubt the kid thinks she’s hot shit as a debater outside of high schoolers and their intellectual peers. And Hillary wouldn’t debate her either. And the kid doesn’t care if anyone accepts or not. It’s a no lose situation for her. She won right off the bat because she challenged a famous congresswoman to a debate, and Bachmann lost right off the bat because people are considering the possibility that she would lose.
The point isn’t that she think’s she’s a hot shit debater, the point is she thinks that Bachmann’s reputation is so bad people think she could be beaten by a high school debater.