Posted by
Glenn Flowers on Wednesday, October 08, 2008 8:31:02 AM
The Presidential Debate Tuesday evening was a yawner. It produced nothing that people hoped for and expected. It was frustrating and disappointing for the questioners, and knowledgeable supporters of both sides have been reluctant to claim a victory, except for the cult worshippers who really can't be taken seriously anyway.
The questions asked differed from those asked by most journalists in that they sought information relevant in the minds of everyday working class people and did not have any got'chas or booby traps. But neither candidate offered any answer that addressed the context of any question. Instead, it was hopelessly evident that both had come with the purpose of getting their own version of a message out onto the airwaves believing it would resonate across the country and secure the pockets of undecided voters in their favor.
It is easy to believe that each debater had jotted down what he saw as his best talking points and decided to use two or three of these points to provide a statement that would initially appear distantly related, if possible, to the general subject matter of the question asked, but would twist and turn its way into all the other points on the list. You can blame all the political observers and expert commentators who made appearances on the talk show circuit in the past days. They went about claiming that each candidate had to get a certain idea across to the voters who were still undecided, or they were in trouble with this niche or needed to shore up his ratings with that niche. The two men heard these experts and they did their expected duty. They spoke, they played dead, they sat, they rolled over, they danced on their hind legs, and they lept through all the hoops deemed necessary by the trainers. And they ignored the great majority of their supporting voters, a few of whom had thought out serious questions that had not been asked. But they were then insulted and ignored by the circus act of Pavlov's Mutts. That's OK though. They have come to expect nothing any better from mavericks and liberals. And even Republicans and moderate Democrats have proven themselves to be muddy, wallering swine trying not to be noticed as the stinking criminals they have become while on duty in the service of their employers.
I had expected, or at least was hoping before the debate that McCain would see a chance in some question to step up to the mic and get personal with America. I never harbored a notion that Obama would attempt it. Metamorphosis is beyond even his ability. But I.had real visions of McCain telling America that they had been the victims of conmen who lied about their involvement in and responsibilty for the scandal in the government controlled mortgage industry. He would tell the people the truth about democrats demanding lower and lower standards for loan eligibility in an effort to provide cheap home loans to those on the bottom of the income charts. He would explain the eternal need democrats felt to have government play the sugar daddy and hand out entitlements to the ineligible, the unemployed, and the under achievers.. He would instruct the common working people on the definition of NINJA loans. No Income, No Jobs, No Assets, and how this was forced onto private mortgage companies with threats of having their government backing revoked and of being penalized by the treasury department and congressional finance commissions if they didn't abandon their normal, proven practices of verifying the ability of the borrower to repay. He would give a history lesson on congressional regulation and how it had been used illegaly by the democrats to demand the use of bad business standards and risky investments in lieu of safer, less risky methods. He would show the irony of the republicans having to request DE-regulation in order to remove the influence of organized embezzlers on business owners and the criminality of the democrats' insistance on maintaining control of regualations, fiscal policy, and insurance backing. And the people would cheer his honesty and praise his independent action because they had known the truth from the beginning and were just waiting to see who would do the right thing and tell the story everyone was trying so hard to conceal. The people expected at least one candidate to be honorable and live up to their claims of being the real advocate for the common people on Main Street.
But it didn't happen. Hell, those two guys couldn't even speak on whether or not healthcare is a commodity, or why either of them should be trusted with the taxpayer's money after all the crime in congress. Neither of them respectfully acknowledged the real purpose behind the carefully crafted inquiries offered by those common people on stage, and those voters were painfully aware of being ignored and exploited by both candidates.
In my opinion, not only did neither candidate prevail, neither candidate showed any respect for the participation of those people on stage, nor did they seem at all interested in gaining their trust or respect. Therefore, it is my determination that there was no debate, and both candidates are losers for their arrogant treatment of serious, concerned Americans across the fruited plain.
Gobber Pyle had a saying that is very much appropriate for this moment...
"Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame. You really otta' be ashamed of yourselves."
Glenn Flowers