12.15.11
by Steven H. Kurlander
Earlier this week, Donald Trump canceled his appearance as moderator of the Newsmax Republican Presidential candidate debate set for Dec. 27.
By the time he did, the only candidates left scheduled to debate were Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich - the rest of the field refused to attend the event because the flamboyant businessman and host of "The Apprentice" reality show refused to rule out a future independent run for the presidency.
Trump stated: "It is very important to me that the right Republican candidate be chosen to defeat the failed and very destructive Obama Administration, but if that Republican, in my opinion, is not the right candidate, I am not willing to give up my right to run as an independent candidate. Therefore, so that there is no conflict of interest within the Republican Party, I have decided not to be the moderator of the Newsmax debate."
In addition to this conflict of interest, there was other criticism of Trump's moderation of the debate. Many argued that he was too biased and made a mockery of the debate process because of his history of lurid self-aggrandizement, his continued insistence to champion the birther argument against President Obama, and his candor on the issues of the day.
Still, after already watching (and actually suffering through) 12 of the over 20 scheduled debates and their insipid moderators so far, I have to admit I was looking forward to The Donald spicing up the role of moderator with his shtick. It would have been an intriguing show.
Political debates in American politics are a traditional means for voters to meet and learn about office seekers which allows candidates to win over undecided voters.
In this presidential cycle, however, the sheer number of debates has made them precariously too routine and tedious. The homogenous, far-right conservative makeup of the early primary's target audiences in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina has combined with the repetition of these events in these states to lessen their impact on voters nationwide and to compromise the debate's effectiveness - and even their legitimacy - by discouraging true debate by candidates pandering instead for evangelical conservative votes. It also inordinately rewards the better debaters like Gingrich with the status of frontrunner.
Even without Trump, this year's debate format has already become merely a weekly "Super Conservative" survivor reality show (sic "wanna bet $10,000 bucks I'm the only real, consistent, pedigree, true conservative?") where we watch the number of contestants whittle down and become more nasty and competitive as they compete for the grand prize of the Republican presidential nomination.
Today, with all the destructive dissention in Washington and state capitols and serious issues surrounding the nation's economy, foreign affairs, and national security, unhappy American voters deserve better at this point.
With the Florida primary coming up on Jan. 31, instead of a yet another empty debate before that date, I would suggest that Floridians rescue Americans by having a local organization like the Sun Sentinel, the Florida League of Women Voters, or even the Republican Party of Florida host a live forum in coordination with social media where each of the candidates - and even President Obama too - delivers an early, proposed Inaugural Address to a nationwide audience summarizing their goals and aspirations for the country for the next four years and outlining what they intend to do if elected president.
To make this process state-of-the-art and interesting to the broad spectrum of American voters, particularly young people, the event could be a designed similarly to a political X-Factor contest, where there is a panel of "impartial" judges that would critique each speech based on strict, predetermined criteria and where voters across the nation could text their votes for their favorite inaugural address.
Inaugural Addresses are another important American tradition, started by George Washington, where newly sworn-in presidents outline their vision for the future of our nation. Some of these speeches, like those delivered by Abraham Lincoln, FDR, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan, were delivered with grand impact and effectiveness in times of great difficulty in this country.
Asking the incumbent president and the Republican candidates to outline their vision and hopes for the country with an early, proposed inaugural speech before a national audience would enhance the American voter's ability to learn about them this primary season - and really help refocus the 2012 political cycle from a problematic debate process and the likes of Mr. Trump' shtick back to an important factual discussion of critical issues facing our country today.
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This op-ed was published on December 15, 2011 in the Sun Sentinel
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