The thrill goes to greenville
February 13, 2016 - The candidate pool has dropped from 17 to only 7. Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore was not invited to tonight's debate due to his low poll numbers and Donald Trump is riding high after a large primary win in New Hampshire.
As always, Ballotball.com is going to play referee. We aren’t going to pick a winner—you, the voter, should decide that for yourself. What we WILL do is help keep the bout civil by throwing flags and calling penalties in real time. So, tune in live on Thursday night, and check back with us on Friday to find out who was penalized the most.
As always, Ballotball.com is going to play referee. We aren’t going to pick a winner—you, the voter, should decide that for yourself. What we WILL do is help keep the bout civil by throwing flags and calling penalties in real time. So, tune in live on Thursday night, and check back with us on Friday to find out who was penalized the most.
The candidates
The Penalties
Tonight's debate rules are somewhere between a basketball game and a spelling bee...
Candidates can receive a foul for the following infractions:
Candidates can receive a foul for the following infractions:
- Failing to answer a question
- Getting way too ahead of themselves by turning a question about one subject into a completely different question about a completely different subject.
- Candidates can receive a technical foul by comparing their opponents to the Nazis.
- Nazi comparisons are lazy. If you'd like to compare Donald Trump's ban on Muslims entering the country to a historical precedent, why not try McCarthyism, or the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, or the Jim Crow south? Instead, people always grab the low-hanging fruit of the Nazis to make their point.
- Nazi comparisons ignore the fact that there are still Nazi parties alive and well in many countries. They have not receded to the dustbin of history and currently have at least one member sitting on the European Parliament.
- This is a debate. And nothing shuts down a debate faster than a Nazi comparison. It is our strong opinion that such comparisons send all parties to the barricades and prevent anyone from actually communicating. Disagree strongly, and make your case the best you can, but leave the Nazi metaphors at home, please.