Four leading Republican presidential candidates did not show at Morgan State University?s debate last night. Big deal.
“Scheduling conflicts” doomed the debate from the beginning ? and not just those of the no-shows: Rudolf Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. The debate coincided with the season premieres of “Grey?s Anatomy,” “The Office,” and “CSI.”
Any political candidate who thinks he or she can compete with Ellen Pompeo or Steve Carell is seriously deluded.
More importantly, the format of what passes for debates is so ploddingly fair and balanced and the responses so carefully scripted and focus-group approved that they serve as broadcast NyQuil.
The structure precludes creating anything of the caliber of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates that captivated a state and a nation with the eloquence and passion of both of the contenders over the main issue of the day: Slavery.
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas fought for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois, but held the nation rapt with debate about what it meant to be an American. They drew crowds from neighboring states.
The debate formats today call for candidates to answer questions only important to sub groups of Americans ? gays, lesbians, Hispanics ? with practically impossible time limits ? and low ratings to match. The debate at Morgan, a historically black university, was supposed to address issues important to minorities. Besides the fact that its not physically possible to say more than “I care about bringing America together” or some other insipid phrase in the time limits allowed, it?s dispiriting to watch candidates compete to be the gay president or Hispanic president or Iraq War president. Have we so fallen apart as a nation that there are no issues important to all of us?
So its hard to be angry at the no-shows, who wouldn?t have been seen by most of the market because of competing programming ? and who wouldn?t have had the time (if they were so inclined to drop their pre-approved answers) to say what they think because of the rules.
If it were up to us, we would have moved the debate to a more crowd-friendly day and time. And we would require candidates to sign a pledge that their words are theirs alone, with no focus-group or public relations? approval. Maybe we?re crazy. But if the popularity of reality shows is any indication, real sells. We just haven?t seen it on the campaign trail yet.
