Let's face it: There are just too many boring
presidential debates with boring presidential candidates this go-round.
First off, could we please see at least one debate in
which the moderator or questioners don't try to dominate the airtime?
Seeing an endless sea of middle-age to darn-near-dead white men on a
stage is bad enough, but having to listen to the "journalists" interact as
if it were a talk show makes these debates excruciatingly painful to
watch.
Second, isn't it time everyone owns up to the fact
that -- had he not been labeled "a nut" by the establishment early on --
Ron Paul is by far the most interesting candidate in the entire GOP
field? Don't these other guys get it that repeating the same old tired
phrases about "economic growth" and "free markets" is just driving their
most conservative base into fits of rage?
I have never seen a bigger cast of one-inch deep
characters in my life as we have in both parties this time. Hillary is so
far ahead that it makes no sense for her to throw even a five-yard pass,
much less a Hail Mary. Barack Obama seems so wrapped up in his charisma
that he's lost the concept of having any real substance. For my money,
Joe Biden has been the only one on the Democratic side willing to take
a few risks or venture into any degree of opposing viewpoints.
As for Fred Thompson, will someone please give this
guy a test and see if he's alive? Don't get me wrong: I like Thompson
personally, but muttering semi-Reaganesque terms such as "indexing for
inflation" is so out of date that the bored audience is left in the dark
as to what he's trying to say.
As for the Mitt and Rudy show, what a battle over
nothing. Romney looks like the Ultra Brite toothpaste pitchman, and Rudy
looks like a character out of the Harry Potter series. They split hairs,
as they all propose basically the same policies and dodge their pasts,
either personal or political.
And here's the real kicker: Our surveys show that
virtually no one is watching these little gems. So all the rooms filled
with spinmeisters and all the column inches wasted on these non-debate
debates are a relative waste of time.
So here's the bottom line, candidates and pundits. We
all started this presidential season way too early. Think about it.
John McCain has crashed, burned and come back to life at least twice
before the first primary. This isn't a race for the nomination as much as
it's a battle to see who will still be alive by the time the caucuses and
primaries are held!
As for the issues -- the boneheaded Republicans (for
the most part) won't admit that Iraq is a huge mess and that even most
Republicans want us to accelerate the removal of troops. The Democrats,
on the other hand, have to take a virtual blood oath of complete
withdrawal to gain the approval of their base.
When it comes to the economy, it's clear none of the
candidates has a clue. The Democrats want to "tax the rich," but by
their definition, Oprah Winfrey and a regular working couple earning a
decent wage are treated one and the same. And why are we even having
debates, primary or general, when we all know that Hillary will likely
outperform any of these guys in a "fancy speak" contest?
The Republicans clearly don't realize that many in
their base, particularly in "red" southern and southwestern states, are
suffering from the results of their beloved free trade and a housing
market that continues to head south. They spout off the right words, but
it's clear that they are just the same old "steady as she goes" GOP,
beholden to huge corporations and their longtime "establishment" ways.
Get it clear, you guys: People don't like your
president or your party. They think you sold us out to globalism and cronyism.
Repeating the same junk we have heard the last six years won't cut it.
So here's a challenge to all "debaters" in these
snore-a-thons. Use the old debate technique of doing everything in threes.
In other words, if asked what your plan is on energy, say, "I have three
major ideas or points" and then state clearly what they are.
That way you might say something innovative or at
least confirm to us that you have nothing to say at all.
Under those rules -- and I can't believe I'm saying
this -- Ron Paul would likely eat everyone's lunch. That's a statement
that would send shivers up the spine of Washington's self-appointed
political elite.