Keeping It Short
Submitted by Aaron Barlow on June 15, 2011 - 08:27Did I say "short"?
Maybe I meant "dwarfish." All I could think of, as I watched the seven Republican hopefuls "debate" in New Hampshire, was of Doc (Ron Paul), Grumpy (Newt Gingrich), Happy (Mitt Romney), Sleepy (Tim Pawlenty), Bashful (Rick Santorum), Sneezy (Herman Cain), and Dopey (Michele Bachmann).
Oh yes, and about the format, part of which makes them all so small. The New York Times, in an editorial, calls the mash-up "full of historical error, economic obfuscation, avoidance of hard truths and even outright bigotry." That it was, but that it was meant to be. The ability to delve deeply into a topic, to consider anything of any real size or importance, has long been stripped from televised American presidential debates in favor of the show. We've even reduced it to the level of the "reality" show, trotting out so-called 'average citizens' to ask questions.