The first Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was an interesting exercise for America. They got to watch two adults excoriate each other on national television with little regard for any actual “moderation” at times and viewers at home got to play along to fact-check statements that ranged from playing around with the numbers to outright lies.
In other words, it was a lot like an episode of First Take.
For large stretches of the debate, moderator and NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt took the whistle out of his mouth and let them play, because we have to have at least one actual sports analogy in this post. And although Holt got criticism in some corners, he drew some understanding from another person who has had to deal with moderating debates in the past – former First Take host Dana Jacobson.
Jacobson, currently at CBS, tweeted this last night during the debate.
This is the awful part for Lester, taking control. I've sat between 2 people yelling-debating-not listening on TV. Looks easier than it is.
— Dana Jacobson (@danajacobson) September 27, 2016
And my point is made… #DebateFirstTake https://t.co/PNHYGuBwsC
— Dana Jacobson (@danajacobson) September 27, 2016
I don’t know if we could be anymore depressed about the current state of the election, but comparing Trump and Clinton to Skip and Stephen A. or Max and Stephen A. or whatever combo you want to insert into this equation might just do the trick.
And it can’t be a coincidence that ESPN decided to debut a First Take debate segment during Monday Night Football last night, can it?
I thought I'd watch MNF instead of the debate to avoid being subjected to idiocy tonight. Then a First Take segment came on and I was torn..
— Ryan McCrystal (@Ryan_McCrystal) September 27, 2016
FS1 will know they’ve made it if the second debate gets compared to an episode of Speak for Yourself. Hey, but at least Trump and Clinton agreed with Jason Whitlock on the scary dangers of CYBERHUMANS.
