We’ve had enough of the Republican primary debates. Last night brought the 20th, and some speculate final, debate.
We couldn’t be happier.
This primary season feels like its gone on for years, when it really has only been months. There have been some great moments during the debates, that’s for sure. But Wednesday’s Arizona debate reminded us why we’re going to be so glad when they’re over: they’re boring.
Yes, the twitter hashtag #CNNdebate was blowing up. Even though many, including hardcore politicos, said they were done watching debates, there still were huge amounts of people tuning in. We don’t have the Nielsen scores, but judging from twitter there were more than a handful of people watching.
But did people really WANT to watch?
Some of the viewership was likely due to the March 1 Super Tuesday debate getting cancelled after three of the four GOP candidates declined to attend the debate. Therefore, last’s night’s debate was the final debate before the 10 contests being held on March 6.
So people tuned in. And what they got was nothing.
Considering there have been 19 previous debates to look to, expectations were high. Unfortunately, all four candidates fell flat. None said anything new or unexpected. They gave predictable answers to predictable questions. The only tidbit worth mentioning is the horrific tie Newt Gingrich wore (maybe someone should pass along our 10 Power Ties to him).
It’s unlikely anyone was particularly swayed by any candidate’s performance. They all looked tired and like they’d rather be anywhere else. We don’t blame them. It was painful to watch.
So we say this: enough with the debates. If people haven’t made up their minds yet, another two hours filled with non-answers to questions isn’t going to help them. The candidates should be focusing their energies into the states where primaries are being held, not sitting around on national television fighting like a group of schoolgirls.