Labor Day, as we’ve heard so often this week, signals the traditional beginning of the fall campaign season. The operative word is “traditional.” A “traditional” campaign season is something I think about the same way I think of “an old-fashioned Christmas.” Something that existed many years ago and is nearly forgotten. Maybe Grover Cleveland versus Benjamin Harrison was a “traditional” campaign. The current presidential campaign began in early 1999, so Labor Day this year means we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I just want to get this one behind me, but the candidates aren’t making it easy. This week’s squabble is about the debates. Not only can the candidates not agree to disagree, they can’t agree on when, where or in what format their disagreement should take place.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, a bi-partisan group established to avoid just this kind of nonsense, has suggested three 90-minute debates at three colleges in three states. Al Gore quickly signed onto this, of course he did. The first student to volunteer for everything, Mr. Gore would like to see policy debates introduced as an Olympic event.
George Bush, who spent his college years snapping beer bottle caps at members of the debate team, has counterproposed that one debate take place on a college campus and two others take place on political talk shows on NBC and CNN. This may seem like trivial bickering, but I think it’s actually a bold and dangerous move by the Bush campaign and how it plays out will set the tone for the sprint to the tape on Election Day.
Ever since the Democratic National Convention, Al Gore has been in charge of this election season, on the offensive, on the attack, looking loose and comfortable in his earth-toned shirts and slacks. George W., on the other hand, has been nervous, cranky and uptight. The Bush campaign has obviously decided to seize on the debate issue as a way to take back the initiative. It works like this: if Gore wants to debate so badly, he can do it on Bush’s terms. The argument over where, when and how becomes a test of wills and the last one to blink is the true Alpha Male. If Gore won’t back down, that works in Bush’s favor, too. Let’s face it, ready command of policy details and thinking on his feet are not Mr. Bush’s long suits. I doubt if he could find France on a map of the world, much less East Timor. If the GOP campaign is struggling now, G.W. going brain to brain with Al Gore is not going to make things any easier.
So it’s a good strategy, but I think it’s going to blow up in George’s face. The bi-partisan commission on debates includes Republicans. Al Gore can legitimately ask how George Bush expects to unite the country when he can’t even agree with members of his own party. Al Gore might pull a stunt of his own, like debating an empty chair with Mr. Bush’s name on it. Which, when you think of it, might be a way for Mr. Bush to save face.
The really bad actors in this episode are NBC and CNN. These networks, which claim to be impartial in their coverage of the election, sneaked into the back room with one side and came out with a deal to undermine the public debate commission. Of course, they say, the other networks could carry the shows. And I’m sure Coke would be happy to sell its products from Pepsi machines.
I don’t think NBC or CNN want to favor Bush over Gore, but unfortunately, network news is no longer run by journalists; it’s run by greedy marketers who want to boost their brand name, even if it means giving the democratic process a kick in the teeth.
Agree to Disagree
Labor Day, as we’ve heard so often this week, signals the traditional beginning of the fall campaign season. The operative word is “traditional.” A “traditional” campaign season is something I think about the same way I think of “an old-fashioned Christmas.” Something that existed many years ago and is nearly forgotten. Maybe Grover Cleveland versus Benjamin Harrison was a “traditional” campaign. The current presidential campaign began in early 1999, so Labor Day this year means we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I just want to get this one behind me, but the candidates aren’t making it easy. This week’s squabble is about the debates. Not only can the candidates not agree to disagree, they can’t agree on when, where or in what format their disagreement should take place.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, a bi-partisan group established to avoid just this kind of nonsense, has suggested three 90-minute debates at three colleges in three states. Al Gore quickly signed onto this, of course he did. The first student to volunteer for everything, Mr. Gore would like to see policy debates introduced as an Olympic event.
George Bush, who spent his college years snapping beer bottle caps at members of the debate team, has counterproposed that one debate take place on a college campus and two others take place on political talk shows on NBC and CNN. This may seem like trivial bickering, but I think it’s actually a bold and dangerous move by the Bush campaign and how it plays out will set the tone for the sprint to the tape on Election Day.
Ever since the Democratic National Convention, Al Gore has been in charge of this election season, on the offensive, on the attack, looking loose and comfortable in his earth-toned shirts and slacks. George W., on the other hand, has been nervous, cranky and uptight. The Bush campaign has obviously decided to seize on the debate issue as a way to take back the initiative. It works like this: if Gore wants to debate so badly, he can do it on Bush’s terms. The argument over where, when and how becomes a test of wills and the last one to blink is the true Alpha Male. If Gore won’t back down, that works in Bush’s favor, too. Let’s face it, ready command of policy details and thinking on his feet are not Mr. Bush’s long suits. I doubt if he could find France on a map of the world, much less East Timor. If the GOP campaign is struggling now, G.W. going brain to brain with Al Gore is not going to make things any easier.
So it’s a good strategy, but I think it’s going to blow up in George’s face. The bi-partisan commission on debates includes Republicans. Al Gore can legitimately ask how George Bush expects to unite the country when he can’t even agree with members of his own party. Al Gore might pull a stunt of his own, like debating an empty chair with Mr. Bush’s name on it. Which, when you think of it, might be a way for Mr. Bush to save face.
The really bad actors in this episode are NBC and CNN. These networks, which claim to be impartial in their coverage of the election, sneaked into the back room with one side and came out with a deal to undermine the public debate commission. Of course, they say, the other networks could carry the shows. And I’m sure Coke would be happy to sell its products from Pepsi machines.
I don’t think NBC or CNN want to favor Bush over Gore, but unfortunately, network news is no longer run by journalists; it’s run by greedy marketers who want to boost their brand name, even if it means giving the democratic process a kick in the teeth.