PEA RIDGE — Round one of the presidential debates is behind us. Hopefully, everyone took time to watch with bated breath hoping to clarify their voting questions. If you observed the news on Thursday morning expecting to hear summaries of the results and observations by experts, you probably encountered the same disappointment that awaited me. The most important topic was how much “Twitter feed” was recorded. For those who had to work and missed this remarkable figure - probably the topic at coffee groups across America - it was a “new record.” The campaign staffs for both the president and the (former) governor had set this method of measuring/swaying sentiment in motion before the debate.
We are definitely in a new era where campaign methods change as fast as Apple Computer brings out new i-Pods or G-Series cell telephones. Somewhere back in our history, speeches from the rear of train cars were used to share the promises of the candidates. Now we can get updates on campaign strategies as fast as the government can flood the economy with new money - both approaching the speed of light.
The best thing about the debate is not new - you knew the “winner” before the debatebecause we only hear what we want to hear and what we need to hear to confirm what we were listening to hear. We are taught to watch body language.
My observations were also tainted in this category because I saw a great speaker looking uncomfortable on stage and his flamboyant style meek and humble - just like his staff directed, so he would appear more like us. On the other side of the stage (former) Governor Romney appeared in control of the stage and the debate. He brought out a fivepoint progression of what areas he would deal with if he is elected.
If you watched the debate, you would undoubtedly see things much differently depending on who you are leaning toward at this point in the campaign.
Our personal bias affects what we see and hear regardless of how much effort (and promises) we make to ourselves.
One of my daughters-in-law, a native of Taiwan, watched the debate and this will be only the second election she has voted in since becoming a citizen. Her observations are much less biased than mine and she has little, if any, knowledgeof how strongly I feel about political issues.
She works in the field of education and has a totally different view of healthcare because it is governmentcontrolled in Taiwan. She stated that she looks forward to the remaining debates, including the vice presidential debates, because she hasn’t made up her mind. She didn’t say who she supported four years ago, but she takes her responsibility as a voter much more seriously than many Americans who are swayed by unfounded promises.
In my opinion, if there was a “winner,” it was Mitt Romney. That shouldn’t be a surprise because I heard what confirmed my opinion that he is the better choice. Over the next few weeks polls will also tell us what we need to hear to confirm what we heard. Excuses will abound about the president’s less than expected debating result which we expect to be displayed daily. Maybe he is getting tired, maybe it is getting tiresome to hear, but he did not appear to be at his best for this event. And, maybe he is still feeling the effects of being overshadowed by Bill Clinton at the Democratic Convention. Time will reveal more during the few weeks leading up to the actual election.
I have met some of the successful people in positions such as those Romney has held, andfound many to be like him - more comfortable with sleeves rolled up and in the process of getting things accomplished, than standing in the applause of a partisan crowd. He certainly has proven himself capable of analyzing a problem and correcting past mistakes. Therefore, it is easy for me to hear only the good points he offered during the debate.
Regardless of the “real winner” in the debate, you and I are winners if it helps us understand the election process and provides more and better information for our trip to the polls. I don’t believe the founders of our country intended for us to become a socialistic, insolvent nation.
They provided a form of government which we now take for granted and expect the government to do too much for us, all with borrowed money. We have a choice to make way beyond Nov. 6. The real choice is in our expectations for the federal bureaucracy’s involvement in our lives. And, we make those choices in our daily actions, not just at the polling place.
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Editor’s note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. He is a native of Benton County has deep roots in northwest Arkansas. He is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at prtnews@ nwaonline.com.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 10/10/2012