Real Debate, Fake Debate

As you may have guessed, we're barely covering the Republican National Convention this week and we don't really plan on covering much of the Democratic National Convention next week, either. In a world of twenty-four news cycles and a hyper-partisan electorate, the last thing most Americans need is a three or four day infomercial, with a fake internal debate, for a political brand they've already made their final decisions about.

Political polling over the next two weeks won't serve as an escape for political media folks either. The last polls taken before the conventions were released yesterday and held no serious surprises. Most polls for the next two weeks will be effectively worthless, as each major event temporarily convinces the most wishy-washy and emotionally needy people to cheer for their side.

That leaves those of us involved in politics and media who wish to remain ethical to focus on something worthy of being called "news."

For Nebraskans - both current residents and state-level expats - as well as other political junkies, the kind of news we're tackling today is something you might have missed in the run up to the RNC; the recent Kerrey-Fischer debate for U.S. Senate.

Unlike the RNC on Tuesday, where some participants were not allowed to debate and others were treated with serious disrespect, both the former U.S. Senator from Nebraska Bob Kerrey, and the current state Senator Deb Fischer, acted with a general sense of decorum at their debate.

The first debate of their U.S. Senate contest - still the only debate that Fischer has officially agreed to and finalized details for - had its share of jabs from both candidates, though only one of them gave many details.

Kerrey, consistent as he's always been, promoted his ability to find compromise, pledging to "put country first, always." Kerrey also promised the crowd he'd, "shake up Washington, D.C., and challenge Harry Reid as often as I annoy Mitch McConnell."

Fischer, for her part, attempted to sell herself as a staunch conservative. Unfortunately for her, she came off more than a bit hollow to those who know her record in the Nebraska Legislature. In a pleasant surprise, even though Fischer's false attempt to paint Kerrey as an outsider has been a hallmark of her campaign, she refused to discuss that issue at the debate.

Kerrey didn't. He went headlong at the false "carpetbagger" issue ginned up by GOP strategists, and knocked that issue into the dirt where it belongs.

Fischer consistently spouted answers that seemed as though they were written by producers from Fox, with lots of sloganeering, but no details. As you can see on the replay, Kerrey had plenty of details, both about his own plans and about the plans and history of his opponent.

From immigration to climate change, from debt and taxes, to Medicare and healthcare, Kerrey consistently showed a depth of knowledge and thoughtful answers that showed he'd weighed all the facts and chose his own approach - one that doesn't fall along strict Democratic Party lines. Fischer simply towed the Republican Party line, somewhat uncomfortably.

We'd love to see another debate between the two candidates to see if Fischer can relax and be a bit more honest and natural. Chances are, though, like most modern Republican politicians, she'll hide and cower, avoiding another chance to potentially make a mistake in a debate with the more experienced Kerrey.

It's a shame, really, since there's nothing of any real significance importance going on in politics right now, nationally or in Nebraska.

How 'Bout Them Apples?

One of the uniquely American quirks that's developed as part of our nation's character over the last century or so has been an increasing reliance on technology to save Americans from some of the most onerous parts of our own lives.

From washing machines to video recorders, Americans have invented and developed much of the best new technology in the world over the last century - even if more recently, American corporations have been shipping the jobs building those gadgets and gizmos overseas.

It would seem appropriate, then, that when a uniquely American problem sprouts up - say the desire to throw a brick or stone through our televisions, computers, or radios because of all the damn political advertisements - that a uniquely American technology solution would be following right behind.

Thanks to Apple, Americans may soon be able to push a button on their technology that will skip right over those annoying political ads.

Last week, Apple not only won a massive lawsuit against Samsung, who was charged with infringing on the patents - the intellectual forbidden fruit - of the world's largest technology company. Apple also was granted another patent for a new system of technology last week that would allow "seamless switching between radio and local media."

For non-tech people, that means that if you were listening to a radio station - or watching TV - on your iPhone or iPad, and a commercial popped up that you dislaked, Apple's technology would be able to automatically replace the commercial with something you already own. For example, a snippet of your favorite song or favorite movie could pop up for thirty seconds while the ad you do not wish to see is playing. Then, when the offending ad is over, the Apple product can return you to the same station you were watching or listening to - all while you touch nothing on your device to make this happen. American consumers are already clamoring for this type of technology for everything from their radios and televisions, to their computers and iPads.

Imagine - no more political ads!

The danger we run in living our lives without any disagreeable input is the risk of all Americans becoming like miniature versions of Missouri Congressman Todd Akin - or the latest Tea Party Republican candidate to make an ass of himself, Pennsylvania Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Tom Smith. Like Akin, Smith appears to have said out loud the kinds of things that previously had only been uttered in the company of other extreme conservatives. Smith's particular idiocy was stating that his daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy from consensual sex was similar to rape.

The kinds of ideas Akin and Smith support seem loopy to most Americans, in large part because we're all forced on a daily basis to deal with one another - a broad range of people, with a diverse set of beliefs. We have the opportunity to be diverse, but we still must find common ground with each other. That broad diversity is one reason it's hard to say America, as a nation, has just a single culture.

If over-homogenizing our lives gets to be as easy as pushing a button on our phones, America itself could - more easily than ever - become a country in name only. We'd be hundreds of millions of people, each living in our own little worlds, only associating with people just like us, and only taking in the kinds of media and information that already support and reinforce exactly what we already believe.

After looking at the RNC Convention in Tampa, maybe America doesn't need the latest technology from Apple after all.

Planks, Platforms, And Prayers

If we were the kind of people the Republican Party appear to be catering to in their official platform this year, we might be having a very different reaction to the weather hitting Florida right now. In fact, if we'd been the knuckle-dragging types the 2012 GOP Platform Committee seems to cater to, and it had been the Democratic National Convention that was delayed and curtailed by hurricanes twice in a row, you can bet we'd be crowing about how the wrath of God had brought the storms to plague Florida because the Liberals were in town.

Of course, we're not those people and it's actually been the Republican Party - the party that doesn't believe in climate change - that's had its big national shindig clipped by weather twice in a row, back in 2008 and again this year. We could have told the GOP that scheduling their presidential nominating convention in Florida during hurricane season wasn't exactly a bright idea. [Vacationing at an all-expenses paid resort during hurricane season, however, will net you 20% off regular rates, at least.]

When it comes to bright ideas, the entire 2012 Republican Party platform - the official document that is supposed to state the core values of what ALL Republicans believe - isn't exactly made of modern thoughtful planks. Their platform this year is more like a few pieces of rejected scrap ideas, tied to a female sacrifice, carried by insane Neanderthals, who are running at top speed off the thin end of the ideological wedge.

We wish we were joking when we say this - but we're not.

Take the plank on women's rights, the one brought to light by last week's Freudian slip by Missouri Republican Todd Akin. On the issue of abortion, the GOP's platform states there will be NO exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Mitt Romney, the party's presidential nominee, disagrees with this position. At least that was his most recent position… subject to change. According to the head of the RNC, Reince Prebius, Mitt can basically ignore what he doesn't like on the platform. So much for party unity.

The hypocrisy gets worse.

For a party that claims to be all about tax cuts, the Republican platform now says they're no longer standing behind the Mortgage Tax Deduction. As MSN Money reporter James Rowley noted, "Republican platform drafters refused to put their party on record for preserving the mortgage-interest deduction, giving Mitt Romney more flexibility to promote his plan to lower tax rates paid by corporations and the wealthiest Americans..."

In short, you should give up your mortgage tax deduction so corporations and the wealthiest Americans can keep theirs. After all, only the little people need to make sacrifices - a technique GOP star Chris Christie has perfected as Governor of New Jersey.

The GOP even wants to put a constitutional ban on tax increases, except for war and national emergencies. We all know how well that kind of economic straitjacket has devastated government's ability to do its job in California.

From the insane idea to return to the gold standard, to letting a racist write the immigration rules, to letting a hate group leader write the LGBT rights plank, the Republican Party Leadership truly appears to be running headlong off the end of the ideological wedge.

We can only hope most of the sane, moderate conservatives take a good hard look at those crazies and realize that's what everyone else thinks of anyone who calls themselves a Republican.

It is our hope that the rational Republicans step up to reclaim the Grand Old Party at the last minute this year. We're not betting the farm on it though.