Hopeless Presidential Debates

Returning place after some hebdomads abroad, can be a revealing experience. The fourth estate and telecasting look to have got forgotten crimes, invasions, college gunfights and recent recollections of one hundred million tins of a hundred different nutrient trade names in favour of the presidential debates. I had to ask.

"Professor, perhaps you can edify me about these arguments among the Republican and Democratic campaigners for the 2008 Presidential elections. I maintain confusing television programmes like American Idol, Lost, Doctor Phil, Fox News and the Cable Man with the celebrated debates; they all look to share common traits such as as a poor comedy quality, bad improvisation and hapless posture. I can not state one from the other!!"

While the professor is never condescending nor patronizing, he never loses the chance to enrich the background of any discussion, expounding or simple inquiry. He smiled and said:

"Listen, arguments have got always taken place; they are a by-product of the freedoms we secured as far back as 1760 or thereabouts. Most have got been informative and not devoid of significance and philosophy. Those, unfortunately we shall see, nor hear, ever again!"

"D'accord, Professor, but turning what would be a utile and enlightening session in presence of billions of television silver screens into a hapless kindergarten exchange, efforts not only against one's mind but also impacts one's sane disposition, good digestion and healthy instincts"

The Professor pointed to a bookcase on one side of his big library and said:

"There have got been many lawsuits in our history where arguments among campaigners led to popular arguments that occupied big parts of the population; those arguments created an ambiance where basic principles, thoughts and states of affairs where thoroughly discussed and in most cases, some wise solutions were found. So it is dissatisfactory to hear a moderator inquire things like: 'If your house was attacked by white ants wearing the uniform of a foreign nation, would you atomic warhead that nation?' or 'What are your ideas on Health Care if the full East Seashore of the United States is inundated and all the First Aid stations are underwater?"

I laughed. "Professor" I said "I inquire why these arguments are not reduced to one topic at a time. We have got enough pending duty assignments that they could throw day-to-day arguments until election day. How about Health Care, Sociable Security, Immigration, Corruptness in Government, Corruptness Elsewhere, Separation of Church and State, Abortion when and if, Cheery Boys and Girls, the ill-famed Patriot Act, Pollution, and the ever popular Republic Of Iraq and Iran?"

The Professor nodded. "Good question. There have got been cases where debates, as you suggest, were held on one specific subject. Back a few years, Republicans Seth Thomas Thomas Jefferson and Jesse James Madison, held forth against Toilet Sam Adams and the Federalist Party in defence of Civil Rights that were violated under the commissariat of the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798. This sort of public presentation have long been forgotten!"

The professor raised his manus and added:

"The Republicans I mentioned, were not the Republicans of today, same as the Federalists of those years had nil in common with today's Democrats. Bash not bury that our two present political parties grew from a common beginning and gradually grew additional apart until old age later when they again shared common goals. Our 'debatees' would make well to reexamine these transmutations and discontinue to speak about each other as if they were enemies of decency, nationalism and low gram calorie Blood Marys!"

I smiled and asked the Professor:

"Are you going to watch the arguments this week?"

"Are you out of you mind? And lose another episode of Ralph Barton Perry Mason?"