The Issues, No. 49 - Presidential Debates

One thing that struck me about last evening's Presidential Debate, and all of the other presidential debates I have ever seen, is that the debaters don't appear to be very "Presidential". Instead they appear to be petty, vindictive, and downright nasty in their attempts to illustrate how they are different from their opponent. Those are not the qualities I want to see in my President. I want to see a person who is confident, cool, and one who can debate the issues and their solutions without attempting to assassinate the character of their opponent. I want to decide who to vote for based on what issues they believe are important and how they would propose to tackle those issues not on how well they can attack their opponent.

Also in the debates, it is irritating to me that the candidates don't ever quite seem to answer the question that is asked. Instead they go off and expound upon something they want to talk about which often is to offer a defense or rebuttal of something their opponent just accused them of. I think this behavior is somewhat embarrassing and it makes me uncomfortable that a man or woman who is trying to become the President of the United States can't answer a direct question with a direct answer.

Of course they also lead us to believe that when they are elected they can and will do everything they say they will do. Anyone who understands how our government works knows that the President can't just do whatever he wants. The President is the chief executive of the Executive Branch of our government. He basically is charged with running the operating agencies of the government according to the legislation under which they were created and funded. He can't do anything new or different entirely on his own initiative. New and different stuff requires legislation that is first introduced, discussed and debated, and then passed by both houses of Congress and then finally signed by himself before he can do anything.

I guess to sum it all up, I would say that the debates do nothing to help most of us determine who we want to vote for. Instead they show us which candidate is the nastiest and which is the best at not responding to a question. The debates are not only embarrassing and irritating, they are also insulting to me as an American voter. Why do I want to vote for anyone who cannot answer a simple question, and instead responds with a personal attack on his opponent while tooting his own horn about his past record and how he is now going to be the savior of the country. I'm more inclined to conclude that until we find someone who is above the pettiness and the viciousness we see in these debates, our country is in trouble. And as a final note, I have definitely concluded that politicians don't necessarily make good Presidents.