CMV: A Kobayashi Maru gambit at a political debate, with the right candidate, would be successful.
Let me explain.
For those unfamiliar, the Kobayashi Maru is a test of character in the Star Trek universe. The "commanding officer" is put into a "no win" situation to see how they will respond. That's the basics of it.
And I think it would take a very specific type of candidate, of either major political party, for this to be successful. Generally, I believe it would take an "outsider" candidate.
The general mechanics would work like this (the verbiage wouldn't be exactly like this, but you get the general idea).
During opening statements, this candidate (let's call them Candidate Real), as part of their opening statement, would simply assert that they are the only one on stage not performing. Everyone else (the other candidates and moderators), including the post-debate analysts, is performing.
That's the trap. Candidate Real has now excluded himself from the "game" being played on the stage. And as we know from WarGames, sometimes the only winning move is not to play.
And at that point, Candidate Real doesn't even have to *win* the debate. He merely has to survive it.
His "everybody's performing but me" statement does a few things:
1. It's pretty much unfalsifiable.
2. It puts t
From the outside, this depends heavily on what happens next and that’s why opinions are all over the place Let’s see what happens next.
At this point, the logic is there, but the execution is uneven so the response doesn’t surprise me Feels like an opening move, not an ending.
On the surface, this feels like a half-step, not a full move That’s what changes the context. Not convinced this is settled yet. That’s the impression it gives me.
From my side, the direction makes sense but the details are messy Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Reaction: They must be illiterate or something...
From a neutral view, the intention might be solid, the rollout less so and that tension shows up immediately That part stands out. Others will probably see it differently.