Was It A Debate Or An Attack?

On the night of October 18, 2011 we sadly witnessed a display of mostly children with a few adult moments mixed into the fray. The Republican presidential nomination debate was an example of what a debate should not be.

First of all, have these candidates forgotten President Ronald Reagan’s admonition known as his 11^th Commandment, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”

Is it really so difficult to follow those words of a truly conservative president? Do any of these candidates understand the concept of a debate?

According to the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary, the definition of debate is as follows:

a contention by words or arguments:

a : the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure

b : a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides

Is that what we witnessed on the evening of October 18, 2011, on CNN? No it was not. Although there were moments of dignified statements made by several of the candidates, the overall impression that most of the public will get on the morning news are the sound bites of the bickering between several of the candidates.

The few examples of dignity and consequential statements were made by Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain.

Mr. Cain was attacked time and time again by the candidates on his tax plan. Whether that plan has merit and a chance to be adopted by the Congress if Mr. Cain were to be elected is a legitimate target of a debate, but it must be attacked on its lack of merit and only by those that have a reasonable proposal of their own. If they do not have such a proposal, then they have no standing in such a debate.

Although some of the candidates have put forth a proposal of their own, none of these are concrete or understandable by the majority of the public.

My advice to all the candidates is, hone your proposals so that the average man and woman can understand it, present it at every opportunity as the better option and then, maybe, the public will consider you a serious candidate for president of the United States of America.

Fred Speckmann

Reno, NV 89501

commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com