Not meant to be disrespectful, and not said in anger. But/and Mr. Lehrer is in his eighth decade and his memory of the past, especially would be valuable in a book [more books], say. He had a great run striving daily to be before much of the public. He has a lot of laurels. Though he is no longer news anchor at PBS, he said he ‘reluctantly agreed’ to moderate this debate. That somehow this debate was going to be VERY different than any before. That’s what he said.
It wasnt.
It was only different by being even more boring than ever before. Via a very small poll in our family of ten persons gathered tonight, from ages 75 to 15, Mr. Lehrer’s choice of questions for the debate tonight were vapid. He pitched whiffle balls at Romney and Obama. Might as well have been tossing dandylions gone to seed.
The choice of Lehrer’s questions was like asking us how we like the weather: vague and wide open-ended. No gaining opinions about the latest TODAY crisis between Turkey and Syria, nor the many protesters outside the venue. Nothing meaningful asked about women and children whose free school lunches for the poor are being cut back. Nothing about how long the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ought go on yet with specifics, dates, times, numbers.
Nothing about the latest: Chinese high profile businessmen’s law suit against the Federal Government because they are upset they cant buy a windfarm near a military facility. Bad Obama said no to them: security risk.
Lehrer asked nothing about the massacres at the southern border of our country ongoing, the absolute mayhem of drug cartels (too too fancy a word for common thugs), flooding over into our southern and southwestern states bringing murder and maiming with them. He asked nothing about the huge increase in government listening into cell phone convos, didnt ask WHEN and HOW will the government start to relinquish the dramatic and invasive new security laws that came since 9-11.
Nothing: Didnt ask HOW either of the candidates, (Romney in particular we’d be interested in his answer since he claims he’ll suddenly create 12 million NEW WELL PAYING JOBS, so that poor folk can work–) and where pray tell will ‘the poor and the laid off from factory and industry and farm, receive the years of education to qualify for these HIGH PAYING jobs.
What really ought be going on with US and China re China buying our government debt? Will the US stand with Israel or turn away, and specifically what will each man do if elected. Food, water, air, the things we must have to survive that weekly, monthly yearly are more and more contaminated by years of pesticides and poisons leached into the soil that grows our fruits and vegetables, not to mention what utter dreck is being fed to chickens, cattle that become many a person’s daily protein. What is each man going to do to overhaul the FDA and food processes regulations ENFORCED right NOW. Lehrer didnt challenge a mushroom with his windy goings-on.
Lehrer asked nothing about the burgeoning poor. Asked nothing about a federal abolishing of the death penalty as the US is the only first world country, so to speak, that commits homicide to punish certain murderers, some guilty, some innocent. What shall be done? What about the vulnerability of all electrical stations, all water supply companies, all nuclear plants, all gas companies as hackers can still now hack into their schedulings and make mayhem of their data. What/where are the safeguards…
It appeared Lehrer’s script he himself wrote was only a vague and watered down gruel of keywords: social security, medicare, jobs, debt–these having been REHASHED ad infinitum and ad nauseam on television and radio and newspapers and blogs for MONTHS now.
Most noteable, I think, was that Mr. Lehrer caved after the first pushback from Romney. Romney demanded to break the rules Lehrer set for the pacing of the event. Romney aggressively insisted he have the last word, showing his disrespect and lack of fear of Lehrer, even as Romney prattled foolishly, wasting our time and his, about ‘loving Big Bird’ and all.
Mr. Lehrer was the traffic cop, and he let Romney bully-run a red light right before Lehrer’s ears and eyes …and without consequence.
Boring doesnt mean the viewer is disaffected or uninterested. Boring means not compelling. We are interested. For gosh sake, we all gathered around tonight hoping to hear a clear, crisp and FRESH way of doing a debate. That’s what Lehrer promised across the airwaves time and again. We have all had teachers who could make how to slice a loaf of bread fascinating. That was not so tonight. Sadly. It coulda been a great go-uppa-gainst.
You know about my having learned some about boxing from my dad and uncles long ago. A lot of people, including me will be talking about how boring the debate turned out to be. But something over and above that: what stood out the most to me in the fritter-fratter beween Romney and Mr. Lehrer — was that Lehrer is the referee, and as such, if referee feels that a boxer has conducted himself in an unsportsmanlike-like manner, ref may stop the bout and disqualify or penalize the boxer.
That didnt happen. In a debate, not only the audience who were to remain mute at Lehrer’s insistence, followed Lehrer’s rules… but also the debaters have to follow the ref’s rules. Or be pulled up short.
To me, that was the glaring ‘circle what doesnt’ fit’ in this so-called ‘disciplined’ debate that was anything but, via Mr. Lehrer’s direction.
I can imagine a veteran like Mr. Lehrer, similar to the old Greek warrior Laertes, who when his young warrior son showed up saying ‘join us on this new battlefield’, that Laertes with an old man’s cry of joy leapt for his sword hanging above the mantle.
That’s noteworthy, I think, wanting one more engagement, one more hurrah. And good on all who pursue. This seems understandable for the old warriors like Clint Eastwood and Jim Lehrer, for any of us who have acumen hard won. But this debate process, didnt rise to the ‘hurrah’ bar.