It was mid-October in 2012 and the third presidential election debate had taken place, it was the second one amongst those running for president, and following the first and only debate between the vice presidential candidates. One thing I noted was the rules for these debates were very stringent, only 2 minute answers would be allotted to each question. Although on almost all occasions the candidates were plus or minus a few seconds either way, and usually a little bit over, I still felt as if very little real intellectual information was being exchanged. This is a problem, and I'd like to speak to it if I might.
You see, we already have a real challenge with attention spans here the US, and our evening news has been reduced to nothing more than debatable nonsense. The reality is that many of the issues that face us on the political scene, or those challenges we face as a nation moving forward cannot even be summarized in 2 minutes, nor can they be adequately discussed in order to pick a president in this way. These answers because of their brevity are without substance, and they are often trite, canned, and nothing more than the political rhetoric we get in the 30 second ads we see on TV where one candidate is condemned for some ambiguous thing and then the other has the balls to approve this message.
Those aren't messages, and in fact they insult the intelligence of the American people. I would submit to you that these presidential debates are insulting the intelligence of the combined and collective wisdom of Americans. That's not good enough, and we need a national discussion, a serious dialogue and debate on these issues. If all we get are tit-for-tat political rhetoric attacks on personal character, or innuendos many of which have no merit at all, we will never get to the bottom of what our nation needs to. And if we don't people are placing their bets and their votes on hyperbole, hypocrisy, and one line gotcha comments.
If this is the way we choose a president, we do not deserve a great leader, and perhaps that's why we haven't been getting them lately. These debates remind me more of a reality TV series where there are two people left on the island, and one of them has to go, which one will it be, click, ask them another question, see what they say, tell them they are a rotten scoundrel, and see who gets in the last word. That's nothing more than a Jerry Springer Show - it's not even fit for my television, why are they wasting my time. As a swing voter having my intelligence insulted in this way is unacceptable.
We live in the greatest nation ever created in the history of mankind, and we deserve more. This isn't good enough, this is not the America I was promised or brought into. If the American people are so naïve to think that these are realistic debates on important topics, or that this is all there is to running the executive branch of the federal government which is spending $1 trillion per year, then no one should vote. How can someone placed their bet, or believe they are getting the facts, or that these candidates are debating the reality? Based on what I've seen I'm disgusted.
The human species has a lot going for it, and the United States is the only superpower. If we are to lead the world into prosperity, liberty, and freedom around the globe we need to walk the talk, and we need to do better than this, and we need to show the world that we can't lead, that we know what we're doing. This has been nothing short of a disgrace, it is unacceptable. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. I can be reached by e-mail.
Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.worldthinktank.net/ - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.
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