-
Apr 17, 2008 7:42 pm US/Eastern
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
The Politics of Distraction
Jim Defede Writes Columns Exclusively For CBS4.com
See Jim's Commentary On CBS4 This Morning
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Flag pins. Angry pastors. And bitterness.
Are these really the most important issues of this presidential election?
Wednesday's debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama left me feeling depressed about the future of this country and the medium in which I work. Not since "Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire" aired in 2000 has two hours of prime-time television been so unforgivably squandered.
This wasn't a debate as much as it was a rehash of gaffes and tabloid stories. Apparently the same people who produced ABC's "Bloopers and Practical Jokes," were called out of retirement to produce this debate. Only this time the practical joke was on all of us.
In watching the debate, I was trying to determine the dumbest question of the night, and I think this two-part query from George Stephanopoulos to Obama ranks at the top of my list:
"Senator, two questions. Number one, do you think Reverend Wright loves America as much as you do? And number two, if you get the nomination, what will you do when those sermons are played on television again and again and again?"
Do you think Reverend Wright loves America as much as you do?
Are you kidding me? What was the purpose of that question? What exactly was the correct answer to that bit of sophistry?
Well, George, I'm glad you asked me that question. I believe my love for America is 3.2 times bigger than Reverend Wright's love for America. Now that is not to say that Reverend Wright doesn't also love America, I'm just saying my love for America is more than three times greater than Reverend Wright's. And it should also be noted that I am confident I have 28 percent more love for America than my opponent, Hillary Clinton, and 17 percent more love for America than John McCain.
Obama, of course, had a slightly different answer, focusing more on the idea that whoever the candidate is, there are going to be specious attacks:
"You know, George, look, if it's not this, then it would be something else. I promise you, if Senator Clinton got the nomination, there will be a whole bunch of video clips about other things," Obama said. "In a general election, we know that there are going to be all kinds of attacks launched and leveled. There have been quite a few leveled in this primary campaign. And I have confidence in the American people that when you talk to the American people honestly and directly about what I believe in, what my plans are on health care, on energy, when they see my track record of the work that I've done on behalf of people who really need help, I have absolute confidence that they can rally behind my campaign."
But Obama's attempt to discuss the issues would not deter Stephanopoulos from getting to the root of Obama's patriotism vis-à-vis Reverend Wright.
"But you do believe he's as patriotic as you are?"
Exasperated, Obama finally just answered the silly question.
"This is somebody who's a former Marine," Obama explained. "And so I have -- I believe that he loves this country, but I also believe that he's somebody who, because of the experiences he's had over the course of a lifetime, is also angry about the injustices that he's seen."
Clinton seemed to relish Obama being grilled by the ABC crew. On the Wright controversy, Clinton said "it is something that deserves further exploration."
Clinton, however, wasn't entirely spared a media thumping. She was confronted with a poll that 60 percent of voters think she is untrustworthy. She danced around that question but neither of the moderators noticed.
ABC wasted almost an hour talking about irrelevant issues before we even got to a question about the economy. There wasn't a question about the home mortgage crisis effecting millions of Americans. And there wasn't a single question about gas prices or even health care.
Here is the problem with this campaign: There are no actual policy differences between Clinton and Obama and so there is nothing of substance to actually debate. So instead we turn to this silliness.
As bad as Charlie Gibson and Stephanopoulos were, the candidates in all candor were even worse. They both looked horrible as they shamelessly pandered.
On Taxes: "I am absolutely committed to not raising a single tax on middle class Americans," Clinton vowed.
"I not only have pledged not to raise their taxes," Obama promised, "I've been the first candidate in this race to specifically say I would cut their taxes."
On the war, both promised they were getting out of Iraq no matter what is happening on the ground.
This entire campaign has now turned into some strange parody of itself. We have pundits debating the significance of Obama's inability to bowl. I actually heard someone on one of the TV stations say that if Obama can't break 100 he shouldn't be allowed to be president. And I think he was serious.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton was off somewhere in Pennsylvania chugging beer and throwing back shots to prove she's just an ordinary person and not an elitist like that gutter ball throwing naïf she's running against.
"What the American people want are not distractions," Obama said during the debate "They want to figure out, how are we actually going to deliver on health care; how are we going to deliver better jobs for people; how are we going to improve their incomes; how are we going to send them to college?
Unfortunately, this campaign has become about nothing but distractions.
Click To Share A Comment With Jim!
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)