"Republican Debate?"

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtotd.blogspot.com”

 

Thought of the Day

“Republican Debate?”

August 26, 2023

 

“The good news for the party is that this was a solid event, showcasing several

capable, qualified and at times inspiring contenders for the oval office.”

                                                                                                                                Kimberley Strassel

                                                                                                                                The Wall Street Journal

                                                                                                                                August 25, 2023

 

“It was like watching a junior high school debate, complete with cool kids asking stupid

questions and the geeks fighting on the stage. I hated every minute of it, thought it

was embarrassing for all involved and found it insulting to the American voters.

                                                                                                                                Andrea Widburg

                                                                                                                                American Thinker

                                                                                                                                August 24, 2023

 

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political

prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

                                                                                                                                George Washington

                                                                                                                                Washington’s Farewell Address

                                                                                                                                September 19, 1796

 

Wednesday evening’s debate generated different reactions, as can be seen in the rubrics from two respected, conservative commentators. And no one on the stage displayed the dignity and wisdom of our first President. In contradiction – which says more about me than the political contenders – I find myself in agreement with both Ms. Strassel and Ms. Widburg, but perhaps more with Ms. Widburg, and sad that we have strayed so far from the wisdom of George Washington.

 

Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley showed a forceful command of the facts, yet her voice was, at times, shrill. Governor Doug Borghum displayed wisdom in emphasizing federalism in the handling of issues like abortion, yet people were left wondering who he was. Senator Tim Scott’s optimism and decency shone through, but he generated little excitement. Governor Ron DeSantis has done wonders in Florida and remained unflustered when challenged, but he came across like a robotic humanoid. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchison, appearing a kindly, elderly man, was the first to signal he would not support Mr. Trump were he nominated, but he resembled a resident of our retirement community. The bright, articulate Vivek Ramaswamy, failed to acknowledge the unintended consequences of his foreign policy prescriptions. He flashed his gleaming white choppers, as he combatted the combative former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the Godly but wooden former Vice President Mike Pence. There were moments when the debate did remind one of junior high school.   

 

Each individual was asked to explain their views on a range of subjects: climate, abortion, education, energy, crime, the border, debt, and deficits to Ukraine and the Russia-China axis – too many subjects to be handled by eight people in two hours. The moderators gave each individual sixty seconds, with thirty seconds of rebuttal. Soundbites do not add to an understanding of issues and candidates. The effect was chaos, with interruptions by panelists and cheering and jeering from an unruly audience. If the purpose was to inform not entertain, Fox News would have better served their viewers had they limited the topics (or the candidates), taking advantage of future debates.

 

At least six of the eight participants mentioned that we are a nation in decline, an accusation with which it is hard to argue when one looks at the state of our schools, urban crime, a southern border that is no border, the division of people into victims and oppressors, and out-of-control debt and deficits. New leadership in Washington is needed, but that sense of decline was reflected in the mayhem on stage and among the spectators. The theme of decline has its genesis in the identity politics of Progressivism and is manifested in the Balkanization of two cultures – Woke vs. MAGA – each intolerant of the other. The consequence has been to remove the Unum from E Pluribus Unum, dividing us into warring camps. While I believe that extremists at both ends of the political spectrum represent only a small (but growing) fraction of the population, they have consumed all the media and cultural oxygen. 

 

A question that has bothered me in the past arose again during the debate: How do we recover a sense of pride in our nation and what it has accomplished over the past two and a half centuries, in terms of material gains and social progress? It is not that we have been – nor are we – perfect. We have blemishes, but anyone who has studied the history of people and societies around the world must recognize the uniqueness of America, that change is evolutionary, and that we live better lives than our parents and grandparents. We who are fortunate to be in the United States live freer and with less poverty than most any other people in the world. To that we owe thanks to the size of our country, its wealth of resources and people, its adherence to democracy and free-market capitalism, and to those who came before us – our ancestors and the millions of immigrants who have made this country home – and to the founders from whose wisdom came our Constitution.

 

Yet, on Wednesday night that sense of pride in the progress we have made over the decades and centuries was lost in the chaos of the moment. Democrats and enemies abroad must have experienced a sense of schadenfreude as they watched what was called a debate.