Viewpoint:? A Presidential Debate or a Three Ring Circus?

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Lori and I signed up for Sling TV in order to see the second Republican Presidential Debate.

?? In case you missed it, seven candidates came to the party: North Dakota Governor, Doug Burgum; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; Vivek Ramaswamy; U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina; and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

? The second Republican debate of 2023 was moderated by Dana Perino, Stuart Varney, and Ilia Calderon. Two of the three you could understand most of the time. At certain points in the debate, you couldn’t hear or understand anyone while some, who are old enough to be President, talked and yelled over each other like first graders with a first-time substitute teacher.

?? It didn’t take me long to question why they billed it as a debate. The definition of the word debate is ‘a formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward’.

Somewhere in the Bush-Gore years, or shortly thereafter, debates became a free for all in which you got to the end of the debate and knew who you despised but not who you respected.

? Opportunities to slam other opponents takes priority over presenting ways to deal with issues that truly effect the people of the nation. I’m not sure how most voters make a decision on which person to cast a ballot.

? A Gallup poll in April found that 45% of surveyed U.S. adults identified as Republican or said they were Republican leaning independents. Forty-four percent identified themselves as Democrats or Democrat leaning independents.

? Gallup says 2011 was the last time political party preferences were this closely divided, and that Democrats have ‘held an edge’ in most years. The near-tie in party identification served as good news for Republicans. Before the 2022 polling results, only once in 1991, did significantly more Americans identify or lean more Republican than Democrat.

? The poll itself, though, could be disconcerting. If, by the narrowest of margins, the country is Republican or Republican leaning how did all those elections where Republicans led when we went to bed but lost by large percentages by morning happen? Interesting, don’t you think?

?? As my wife and I talked after the debate, it was hard to come up with sound bites that resonated enough to be remembered. Tim Scott said some good stuff, he said he had experienced discrimination but that the country (and he said it with passion) was not racist. Agreed. But he was also the one of those who interrupted and yelled over people.

?? North Dakota’s Burgum and former Vice-President Mike Pence didn’t interrupt enough. Pence, in my opinion, is of impeccable integrity, but either not a good debater or too humble to toot his own horn.

? I had trouble taking Ramaswamy serious and I don’t think it was his fault. His hairdo reminds me of some cartoon character that I saw a lot of on bubble gum wrappers. Remember those? For a penny you got a piece of bubble gum and a cartoon.

? Chris Christie is a good debater and, for some reason, his timing was best. He would get his thoughts finished before everyone would yell over him. I’m still not sure he’s who I want in office.

? That leaves Nikki Hailey and Ron DeSantis. I’d be pretty comfortable with either one of them; but the campaign season is young and, as of yet, the statistical front runner, former President Donald Trump, hasn’t shown up. I have to admit, I’m not too excited about the fact that the leading candidate hasn’t taken the time to drop in and talk to his constituents.

The sad part is it’s so easy to watch and listen. It takes a little more effort to actually research voting records and past performance. No matter what they say there is only one thing for certain. If elected, when they come out of office, they will be significantly richer than when they went in. Bet on it

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