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August 19, 2009
E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
A Good Debate, But Does it Matter?
Thursday's presidential forum, lacking as it was the presence of the four leading candidates, was a rare opportunity for the second-tier hopefuls to have their fair share of the spotlight. Before a diverse, bipartisan in-house audience, and millions of viewers at home, the six men on stage postured and held forth on the big issues, declaring their solutions to the problems facing America
The thing about second-tier candidates, which I realized watching the Democratic forum in June, is that they feel much freer (presumably because they have such slim chances of winning) to say exactly what's on their minds. Mike Gravel's blustery performance at that debate stands out in my mind particularly ("Is it a surprise to anybody in this room that, if you don't have any money, you don't get any justice? Is that a surprise to you all?”) Strangely, and maybe a bit sadly, the candidates with the most passion in these forums are usually the ones with the least chances of earning a nomination.
Former Ambassador Alan Keyes exemplified this with his outspoken, thunderous, pulpit-style address. While he raised many good points (the problems with a culture that reveres “selfish hedonism,” the role of industry, not immigrants, in cheapening the price of labor), he also went too far at times, calling for more religion in schools, and frequently deferring to God as an important force in shaping government policy.
There were many shining moments in Friday's debate, as well as a number of surprises, like Tom Tancredo's naming of Ronald Reagan as a president who left a positive legacy for black Americans, and Duncan Hunter's offer to shield them from pornography. Overall, however, judging by the responses of the candidates at this forum, one could sense real promise for America's people of color where the Republican Party is concerned.
All the same, for all of the big talk and promises of change, it was impossible to escape the elephant in the room, the fact that the next presidential candidate, by most accounts, was probably not there.