December 26, 1999

Political Debates a Throwback to Gladiatorial Circuses

If you enjoy picking wings off flies, then you must be having a ball these days when candidates for presidential nominations are “debating” each other right and left – figuratively and really.

I enclose the word debating in quotes because that is the term used by big media. It is a misnomer and a disgrace to the fine art of punditry. I describe the present epidemic of confrontations as rhetorical traps designed for morbid entertainment. Certainly they are not for elucidation of issues.

In the first place, political candidates resort to issues only as a last resort. Their aim is to please the largest number of voters with the least amount of commitment.

There has been a half-dozen debates in the last two months, and the election is eleven months away. Citizen fatigue of adversary politics was topped off with the impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton. Give us a break.

When there is no recent debate to spin, reporters come up with a juvenile parlor game called “Guess Who.” Quick, name the game wardens of Timbuktu. “You don’t know? Shame on you!”

George W. Bush was ambushed this way. He couldn’t name the prime ministers of four minor countries. Instead, he challenged the reporter to name Mexico’s trade representative instead. Big Media waxed indignant – signaling that the rest of us should do likewise.

John McCain -- a Republican maverick and therefore beloved by smart-aleck media types – was asked last week to name the prime minister of Ireland. Blank stare. How about the governor of Vermont? After a few “duhs” by McCain, the interlocutor gave a hint: “The first name is Howard.” McCain’s light went on. “Dean” he blurted. Go to the head of the class. (By the way, the prime minister of Ireland probably is Bertie Ahern.)

Who cares about the heads of minor countries, or American states of marginal influence? Let them build an atom bomb, or set up a terrorist camp, and we will learn their names soon enough.

All we care about right now – sans a national emergency – is the shape of the candidates’ smiles, golf handicaps and appeal to nubile interns.

Maybe in late October the two surviving candidates can give us a few words on taxes. That ought to do it. After all, it’s not like they were running for something important like commissioner of baseball.

The notion of political debates stems from those between Abraham Lincoln and Sen. Stephen Douglas in 1858. The paramount issue was slavery. Sen. Douglas had sponsored the bill repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 prohibiting slavery north of the 36th parallel.

Lincoln, along with many others from the Democratic and Whig parties, opposed extension of slavery. They formed a third party called Republican. Lincoln was chosen to oppose Democrat Douglas in Illinois.

After responding to Douglas’ speeches after the fact, Lincoln wrote him suggesting they speak together on the single issue of slavery. Douglas, who endorsed “popular sovereignty,” could not refuse.

The two candidates thereafter met around the state on seven occasions. The appearances averaged three hours in length and were well attended.

In the election, Lincoln won the popular vote by a slight margin. However, a Democratic splinter-candidate’s vote, combined with the Douglas/Democrat vote, prevailed in the state legislature which in those days elected U.S. senators.

Presidential debates resumed with the 1960 race between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Theirs was the first television confrontation. Nixon is widely believed to have lost because his “five o’clock shadow” was unflattering.

Thereafter, debates were constructed to entertain. How do the candidates look? Will they mispronounce a word? Will they be nonplused by an opponent’s clever one-liner? Did they look at their watch? Will they be caught in an error of fact? Did they go over their time allotments? Who got the most applause from hand-picked partisans?

Since the Kennedy-Nixon debate, the format has gone farther down hill. With three-minute responses to questions, the events resemble old Roman circuses where bloodthirsty citizens came to see gladiators skewered.

Political debates should be initiated by the candidates who meet in the C-SPAN studio, ask the questions and take what ever time necessary to answer them fully. After flipping a coin to see who starts, the moderator would leave.

Otherwise, forget the whole thing. They shoot useless horses, don’t they?

PARTING SHOTS

Good advice from A. Lincoln: “When you ask of a stranger that which is of interest only to yourself, always include a stamp.”

* * *

Roger Clinton wowed North Koreans during his rock concert there even though he lacked a saxophonist. Brother Bill could have filled in, but he ran out of wind in South Korea.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers