This is no place

A Real Debate

Unfortunately, due to the restricted debate access, on Tuesday, all we got to hear were more soundbytes from Obama and McCain. When asked by an audience member about how they would go about "bailing out" the average American, we heard soundbytes and stump speeches.

Obama blamed the failed policies of the Bush Administration, and markets "run wild" free of regulation. Notably absent from his commentary was any mention that Congress has rubber stamped every Bush policy for the last four years. Then he went into his usual talk about universal healthcare as though governmental insurance guarantees were germaine to the discussion of the current financial disaster.

For his soliloquy, McCain launched into talking about the need for price fixing in housing. He made some non-sensical remarks about retirees suffering because housing prices are down. Mr. McCain apparently doesn't understand that the average 73 year old doesn't own 5 investment properties, and that high property assessments tend to be major pain points for retired people come tax time. Then after proving he has no understanding of basic economics, McCain made his stump about how he knows how to get the economy working again, "My Friends".

It all gets so tiresome, hearing the same stump speeches proffered as non-answers to questions in these "debates". I can't imagine that we would hear only soundbytes and stump speeches if they were to allow third party candidates to debate. I would have loved to have heard Bob Barr on that stage, taking McBama to task for their non-answers. Better yet, imagine a debate between Obama, McCain, and Ron Paul. It might look something like this:

Now that would be a debate I'd like to watch.