ABC News badly botched the start of last night’s presidential debate. To viewers in the auditorium and at home, it appeared that first Ben Carson was just standing there after his introduction.  Then Donald Trump refused to come out, standing together with Carson at the end of the curtained passageway they were supposed to emerge from onto the stage. The camera showed the two men standing, chatting, as they were introduced. Then Marco Rubio was introduced and walked past, and Jeb Bush was introduced, and walked past the two men, putting his hand on Donald Trump, and then bumping him, almost as if he were pushing him aside.

After the debate in the Spin Room, it emerged that the sound system was faulty and they could not hear their names.

The moderators proceeded to hail the arrival of the candidates and announce the debate beginning, as three podiums were still empty, and Carson and Trump walked out, leaving Kasich still at the back of the passageway, apparently forgotten by the moderators.

After some further confusion, and Marco Rubio pointing out Kasich was not there, Kasich arrived.

 For those not clued into ABC’s faulty sound system, it looked like a bunch of doofuses were running for president. And the Democrat operatives journalists in the MSM  are doing their part to portray it as such.

It would be interesting to know who was responsible for the sound system. If Hillary Clinton planted a mole, it would be a masterful dirty trick. But incompetence is my go-to explanation on the basis of Occam’s razor.