II is far-fetched to imagine, but there may be a reader, perhaps even two, who inexplicably chose to check out Katy Perry’s big Montecito benefit show at the Bowl on Saturday night instead of nestling in to watch the first TV debate of the 24th Congressional District campaign.
While Katy riffed on “Firework,” Rep. Salud Carbajal and Republican rivals Justin Fareed and Michael Woody put on a less incendiary, unfailingly civil but pretty substantive discussion of consequential issues, from abortion to water, leading up to the June 5 primary, when one of the three will be voted off the island while the other two advance to the November playoff.
Newsmakers joined the (all male) panel of journalists questioning the (all male) lineup of candidates (inquiring minds want to know: how could this happen in the #metoo era – Tracy Lehr and Beth Farnsworth, call home!) and therefore will not even attempt an analysis of the affair:
Witnessing a debate unfold as a participant on the set, up close and personal, sitting 20 feet from the candidates, is a qualitatively different experience than watching it aired or live streamed on a screen, whether handheld or super-wide.”
Beyond the behind-the-scenes turmoil of lights, cameras, time clocks and other technical paraphernalia that is invisible to the audience, a reporter’s active engagement in the debate process also brings into play the basic laws of quantum physics, i.e. the presence of an observer changes the nature of the observed.
Here’s the link to the debate, as posted on You Tube by KEYT. Heads up: skip ahead to 5:06, when the black screen finally gives way to the broadcast, and don’t be confused by the You Tube title – “Carpinteria Chamber of Commerce Annual State of the Community Live Broadcast.” Oy,
JR