Debates, Questions and the Right Answers


I have no idea how tonight’s Presidential debate will unfold.  Debates hinge on so many dynamics, and the town hall forum of tonight’s debate has more wild cards than a canasta deck.  During one of Jimmy Carter’s town hall meetings (not a debate) I was able to ask him a question and I can honestly say that from that moment on I knew he would be a one term President.  I have been in the physical presence of four Presidents and poor Carter was the only one who didn’t awe me with his Presidential aura.  There is, after all, something about the office that carries its own prestige.  For Carter to be unable to wear even that given cloak of authority spoke volumes about the man and his leadership abilities.

There are lots of questions I would like to ask both of these gentlemen and most of them would not be the ones being promoted by speculation in the media.  I wouldn’t ask about the Libyan Embassy killings.  We know the truth and the administrations dissembling.  Neither would I ask about fiscal apportionment and the tax code.  It is too easy to confuse people with terms that sound interchangeable but are not and therefore make the numbers say what you want instead of what they actually are.  Quite frankly, if you or the business you own make more than $100,000 per year you are going to being paying more in federal income tax.  Learn to live with it.  It’s a great country and somebody has to pay for it.  I would not ask about social issues.  They are part of the very fabric of our being.  We aren’t going to change anyone’s mind.  What is more, matters of morality and ethics are more properly and effectively attacked from the point of view of the individual than the state. 

So, what does that leave?  It leaves the important questions that aim at the very core of the candidate.  This is the question I would ask of both President Obama and Governor Romney: 

(1)  Why are you a Republican/Democrat? 

(2)  What are the two most important roles of the Federal government in the life of this democracy? 

(3)  If you could only accomplish one task in the next administration what would it be? 

In other words, I would want to know what the candidate truly believes about his role in the scope, security and history of this country.  Oddly enough, the details that many people say they want from these candidates are exactly the kinds of things that need to be hammered out with bi-partisan effort.  But what makes these men tick, their heart felt view of the country they will lead, that is what will guide them.  That is what I want to know. 

As for why I am a Republican, maybe this explains it:  


R is for responsible, I am the captain of my ship

E is for equal opportunity

P is for proud of my country, community and culture

U is for the United States of America, my first allegiance

B is for brave and my thanks to the tens of thousands who manifest it

L is for liberty but not license

I is for independence both mine and respect for others

C is for commerce, the source of our growth

A is for altruism, more obvious here than anywhere in the world

N is for national interest which is what we should promote

 
Ask the right questions and keep the faith.

Comments

Patsy said…
D as in Declaration of Independence on which our country was founded

E as in an equal Education to which all citizens are entitled

M as in Made in America

O as in Opportunity which must be equal for all

C as in Caring for those less fortunate

R as in the Right to Vote which should never be abridged

A as in Armed to defend the U.S.

T as in True to our principles



October 16, 2012 at 4:41 PM
louisebutler said…
Beautiful, Patsy. I was pretty sure you would come through with a similar diagram! I hope a few others make some as well and we can think about how we are alike instead of different! Same goals, different strategies. Have a really good day! Hugs!
October 16, 2012 at 4:50 PM
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