The United States is like the Titanic heading straight for a fateful iceberg. What is remarkable about this impending doom, however, is that, even though everybody from the captain (the president) to the ship steward (the most junior member of Congress) sees it coming, nobody seems the least bit concerned.
To the contrary, the most influential people on this ship all seem possessed of a national death wish. Indeed, no less a person than Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell manifested this suicidal mindset just months after President Obama was inaugurated. That’s when he boasted ominously – not about helping to steer the ship of state away from that proverbial iceberg, but about making waves to ensure that Captain Obama has no ability to alter this disastrous course. But I digress….
Another manifestation of this suicidal mindset is the absolutely obscene amount of money being spent on political campaigns. In fact, the folly of Nero fiddling while Rome burned does not come close to the folly inherent in politicians spending billions on television ads while millions of Americans (that 47 percent Romney maligned so infamously) are struggling to keep their financial heads above water. (Well, to continue the metaphor just a little, the Titanic is sinking and many desperate souls are treading water awaiting their doom….)
It would be one thing if these ads promoted a constructive debate. Unfortunately, they do even less in this regard than junk food does to promote a healthy diet. Not to mention that most of them are funded by fat cats who are concerned more about keeping their finances rather than the country afloat.
Mind you, this is not to say that the media and politicians bear all the blame. After all, comprehensive information about all critical issues (or healthy food) is readily available 24/7 for any voter (or couch potato) who wants to access it. What’s more, even though laden with empty calories, most ads do contain morsels of political nutrition. And so many of them have already been shoved down our throats that any voter who still claims to be undecided or uninformed is rather like a person who claims to be starving after scoffing down a Triple Whopper, French Fries, and a Milk Shake (or Caramel Frappé).
Which brings me to the hype surrounding the three presidential debates that are scheduled between Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama.
Foremost, the media should be chided for shamelessly and irresponsibly promoting the first of these debates (beginning just hours from now) as a do-or-die, Thrilla-in-Manila showdown. After all, every single reporter or pundit worth his salt knows that no presidential debate in U.S. history has ever been a decisive factor in the outcome of any presidential election.
Frankly nothing betrays the suicidal mindset in this case quite like the media previewing these debates more by salivating over potential gaffes and zingers. This, while blithely ignoring any prospect of Romney and Obama debating and prescribing remedies for everything from economic malaise to illegal immigration.
This is not to suggest that there will be no substance to this debate; to the contrary. But it’s very instructive that when most pundits refer to the most significant/memorable presidential debates in U.S. history they rarely, if ever, cite a substantive point a candidate made. Instead, they cite Nixon’s gaffe of a sweaty brow as the key to JFK’s victory; Ford’s gaffe about there being “no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe” as key to Jimmy Carter’s; Reagan’s zinger, “There you go again,” as key to his; or, Gore’s gaffe of making annoying, all too audible sighs as key to George W. Bush’s.
So whatever the merit of tonight’s debate, you can be sure that both men will be doing more to land zingers while avoiding gaffes than to advocate what course they would chart to steer the country clear of that iceberg. And you can be sure that the only thing the pundits will be spinning, and the media will be feeding, right after this debate is a diet of gaffes and zingers.
Apropos of which, Romney could chalk up a certain zinger by making quite a show of wishing Barack and Michelle a happy 20th anniversary in his opening remarks. This would do more to humanize Romney than all of the gimmicks he’s tried throughout his entire campaign, which included appearing on Live! With Kelly and Michael and pretending to be Snooki’s biggest fan. Come to think of it, given all of the talk about the irony of Obama marking this occasion by debating him, it would be a gaffe for Romney to fail to wish him a happy anniversary.
Finally, saying what question you would ask has been the national pastime over the past 24 hours. Therefore, to show that I really can be a good sport, here’s what I would ask Romney:
- Governor, the veritable mantra of your campaign has been, “the government doesn’t create jobs; the private sector does!” So why do you keep blaming the Obama government for failing to create more jobs?!