Debate, What Debate?

Melissa,

In addition to this last presidential debate being boring, it was also painful for me to watch. Perhaps we have forgotten the definition of debate: it is to be a provocative discussion in which issues are advanced, and considerations are made for or against certain propositions. Debate involves logical argument, not talking points. A debate involves reasoned judgment, not sound bytes. I'm not sure we've seen an actual debate, in the truest sense of that word, this entire election season. Give me a team of debaters from almost any high school or college campus and they would put either man to shame! I would rather see a group of Young Republicans and Young Democrats go at it in a debate. We would be guaranteed to see a demonstration of passion, preparedness, and principles.

Melissa, you offered some quick thoughts on last night's debate and I loved them! I needed a sane, but humorous, reminder of all the issues that were addressed and that also were not addressed. But I still have some questions that perhaps you and our Kitchen Table readers can address for me.

1) Why, oh why, can we not find a young and dynamic moderator? Is there no one under the age of 60 available to moderate a presidential debate, someone with some vim and vigor? I volunteer! Seriously, as much as I respect Tom Brokaw as a journalist, he was a poor (and biased) moderator. Can we not find someone with some passion for the job? Someone who was not born before the candidates and can perhaps bring an entirely new and fresh perspective to the job? Age may bring wisdom, but age does not necessarily translate into the right type of experience (hint to McCain!).

2) Where there no better questions submitted by the alleged millions of emails? Seriously...if this is a representative sampling of the types of questions that America is asking, it's no wonder that we are in trouble. I ask tougher questions to my students about some obscure points of theology. Surely we can expect our presidential candidates to field a more rigorous interrogation. I don't know who submitted these questions, but they needed a more careful review, including those questions from the people in the hall. I used to wonder why I never got invited to events like this. Now I know why: I might actually stump the candidates.

3) Who came up with the town hall format? This format is a serious disadvantage for McCain who seems much more secure, and less frail, behind a podium. Obama looked positively presidential, clearly at ease with moving among an audience. But it would have been just as well if both men had sat down, instead of forcing the cameras to anticipate their moves.

4) Must every debate disintegrate into warmongering? Seriously. At some point in every single presidential debate or conversation, the discussion becomes a question of who is ready to invade, kill, wage war, bomb, or otherwise employ military force against some people, tribe, nation. Some of us are sick of it. Some of us believe that military intervention should be a tool of last resort and we resent that every single conversation becomes a pissing contest over who is willing to pull out the big guns. Sigh, if only women ran the world.....

So those are a few of my questions and God knows, I have plenty more. Clearly, this debate is a win in the Obama column. He proved, once again, that he is ready for the leadership of our nation. Of course, given the current economic crisis, state of foreign affairs, and environmental havoc, it is truly a wonder to me that he even wants the job!

Yolanda