3 Reasons Democrats Should Watch The GOP Debate – And Everything You Need To Know About How To Do It

Unless you’re a political junkie, you likely aren’t planning on watching tonight’s GOP debate. Here’s why you should change your mind. 

WHAT:

The fourth GOP presidential debate is tonight, Tuesday, November 10. There will again be two debates, the second-tier debate for those candidates who only averaged 1% to 2.5% in the latest polls, and the main event for the top eight candidates.

WHEN:

The early debate, the “kid’s table,” so to speak, will begin at 7:00 PM EST, and the main debate will begin at 9:00 PM. Both will air on cable TV on the Fox Business network – not the main Fox News channel. You can check to see which channel it is for your cable provider here.

HOW:

To watch, aside from via your cable TV, you can watch online on Fox Business, which will stream both debates live. Fox Business says it will not require viewers to verify if they have a cable subscription, which means there likely will be many more watching and the streaming quality may be diminished.

To watch on your mobile device, you can download the Fox News app. You can also listen to the audio via SiriusXM Radio, on the Fox Business channel.

Of course, you can gain insights and share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #GOPdebate. I’ll be live-tweeting my personal thoughts, so feel free to follow me on Twitter at @davidbadash. 

WHERE:

Tonight’s debate will he held at the Milwaukee Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is hosted by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal. 

WHO:

The first debate, the “undercard” debate, will include only Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, and Mike Huckabee.

The second debate at 9 PM, the main debate, will include Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul, and John Kasich.

Both debates will be moderated by Fox Business anchors Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo, and WSJ editor-in-chief Gerard Baker.

WHY:

OK, here’s the most important part, especially for Democrats, liberals, and progressives who think there’s no reason to watch.

Reason number one: This is the last debate until nearly Christmas, which means if you’re spending time with relatives over Thanksgiving and politics is a topic of conversation, you’ll want to be prepared, regardless of which way your family and friends lean.

Reason number two: It’s fun. Seriously. Watching Republicans trying to knock each other down, voice statements they often don’t believe, and do practically anything to “win” is entertaining. Think of it as “America’s Got Talent” or “So You Think You Can Dance” for politics.

Reason number three: The future of the nation is at stake. No, it really is. Will you watching change the country’s trajectory? No, unless you believe in the “butterfly effect.” But nevertheless, there are a great many issues at stake, and as a member of our democracy, with all its inanity and ridiculousness (red Starbucks cups, anyone?) this is important. Just remember, we have Obamacare and same-sex marriage because the people elected Barack Obama and people he put on the U.S. Supreme Court decided the constitution said we should. The next president likely will replace at minimum two SCOTUS justices. 

Bonus: OK, if none of that worked, do it because you want to see Ben Carson get grilled on his belief that the pyramids were built to store grain, do it because this is make-or-break for Jeb Bush, do it to see if the moderators ask Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, and Mike Huckabee why they thought it was OK to speak at a “kill the gays” convention this weekend, do it to see what antics Donald Trump pulls next.

That said, hope you’ll give watching some thought.

Have fun!

And stay with The New Civil Rights Movement for breaking news and analysis of the debate tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. Follow us on Twitter: @NewCivilRights and please “like” us on Facebook!

 

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr and a CC license