Monday, December 03, 2007
DEBATE ABOUT WHAT?
The recent republican candidate “debate” on CNN was puzzling. Questioners were selected from You-Tube responders, supposedly the best way to obtain questions on a broad spectrum of topics from a diversity of questioners.
Something went wrong. Either the questioners and topics were sifted and selected by CNN reps, or the candidates’ interpretations of the questions offered opportunities to pontificate or to attack an opponent. Perhaps it was some of both.
As was the case of the last democratic debate, there were lots of accusations and deliberate distortions of the positions of other candidates, including hair-splitting differences of views commonly held. These involved a lot of smoke and fire, signifying little.
Thinking back on the “debate,” there are only a few topical areas that can now be recalled. These included:
• Rants on illegal immigration and aspects thereof
• Support (minus one) of the Iraq War, using patriotism and fear
• Gays in the military
• Criminal penalties for abortion; control the Supreme Court
• Solve deficit by stopping government spending on entitlements --
Social Security, Medicare, children’s health, education, student loans; revive failed proposals for SS privatization & health savings accounts
• Agriculture subsidies to (big and little) farmers -- (think Iowa)
• Hiding security expense for out-of-town over-nights with girl friend
• Guns in cities
• Conspiracy on a highway through U.S. from Mexico to Canada
• What would Jesus do?
There must have been other topical areas, but it is difficult to remember all of them. Since this is a republican primary, perhaps the questions were selected with the republican base in mind.
There were other topical areas about which little or no discussion occurred, but nevertheless are of great concern to voters in general. These include:
• A strategy to end the war in Iraq; post-war strategies
• Strategies for Mid-East peace
• The crisis in health care costs; health insurance & drug costs
• The health crisis of uninsured and under-insured adults and children
• Stopping budget deficits by restoring tax cuts; selective increases
• Realistic proposals for Social Security; proposals for Medicare
• Stopping the movement of companies and jobs overseas
• Stopping importation of technical immigrants to take good jobs
• Stopping off-shore corporate and individual tax dodges
• Taxing hedge fund profiteers at income rates
• Making tax rates on income from wealth and wages on labor closer
• Cleaning up the corruption of money from lobbyists & big donors
• Stopping unethical campaigning by money organizations (Swift-boat)
• Campaign finance reform, including public funding only proposals
• Global warming; survival of the planet
• Energy policy; restrictions on gas guzzlers; immediate standards on vehicles; realistic strategies to combat oil cartels and monopolies
• Hazards to health by defective imported products
• Hazards to economic future by trade deficits & debt held in China
• Problem of real estate bust and mortgage foreclosures on homes
• Monetary policy; manipulation of interest rates by feds; devaluation of dollar internationally
• Taxing windfall profits of oil and gas companies and royalty holders
• Pay-as-you-go budget and tax policy (including war costs)
• Straightforward and realistic solutions to illegal immigration problem
Certainly there is a world of concerns out there which were not addressed in the republican debate. Some are not likely to be addressed in any debate, because of necessary unpopular solutions (tax plans). But certainly discussion on the half-dozen more significant concerns of the American people would be welcomed.
Unfortunately, it appears that republicans would like to focus on their favorite divisive issues – gays, guns, abortions, and add immigration.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Something went wrong. Either the questioners and topics were sifted and selected by CNN reps, or the candidates’ interpretations of the questions offered opportunities to pontificate or to attack an opponent. Perhaps it was some of both.
As was the case of the last democratic debate, there were lots of accusations and deliberate distortions of the positions of other candidates, including hair-splitting differences of views commonly held. These involved a lot of smoke and fire, signifying little.
Thinking back on the “debate,” there are only a few topical areas that can now be recalled. These included:
• Rants on illegal immigration and aspects thereof
• Support (minus one) of the Iraq War, using patriotism and fear
• Gays in the military
• Criminal penalties for abortion; control the Supreme Court
• Solve deficit by stopping government spending on entitlements --
Social Security, Medicare, children’s health, education, student loans; revive failed proposals for SS privatization & health savings accounts
• Agriculture subsidies to (big and little) farmers -- (think Iowa)
• Hiding security expense for out-of-town over-nights with girl friend
• Guns in cities
• Conspiracy on a highway through U.S. from Mexico to Canada
• What would Jesus do?
There must have been other topical areas, but it is difficult to remember all of them. Since this is a republican primary, perhaps the questions were selected with the republican base in mind.
There were other topical areas about which little or no discussion occurred, but nevertheless are of great concern to voters in general. These include:
• A strategy to end the war in Iraq; post-war strategies
• Strategies for Mid-East peace
• The crisis in health care costs; health insurance & drug costs
• The health crisis of uninsured and under-insured adults and children
• Stopping budget deficits by restoring tax cuts; selective increases
• Realistic proposals for Social Security; proposals for Medicare
• Stopping the movement of companies and jobs overseas
• Stopping importation of technical immigrants to take good jobs
• Stopping off-shore corporate and individual tax dodges
• Taxing hedge fund profiteers at income rates
• Making tax rates on income from wealth and wages on labor closer
• Cleaning up the corruption of money from lobbyists & big donors
• Stopping unethical campaigning by money organizations (Swift-boat)
• Campaign finance reform, including public funding only proposals
• Global warming; survival of the planet
• Energy policy; restrictions on gas guzzlers; immediate standards on vehicles; realistic strategies to combat oil cartels and monopolies
• Hazards to health by defective imported products
• Hazards to economic future by trade deficits & debt held in China
• Problem of real estate bust and mortgage foreclosures on homes
• Monetary policy; manipulation of interest rates by feds; devaluation of dollar internationally
• Taxing windfall profits of oil and gas companies and royalty holders
• Pay-as-you-go budget and tax policy (including war costs)
• Straightforward and realistic solutions to illegal immigration problem
Certainly there is a world of concerns out there which were not addressed in the republican debate. Some are not likely to be addressed in any debate, because of necessary unpopular solutions (tax plans). But certainly discussion on the half-dozen more significant concerns of the American people would be welcomed.
Unfortunately, it appears that republicans would like to focus on their favorite divisive issues – gays, guns, abortions, and add immigration.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
