Meaningful Discourse

I could tell you that I got up early just so that I could watch the Democratic Presidential Debate in Iowa live as it happened. I could tell you that I was fortunate to turn on the television as the tape delay telecast was beginning for us out here on the left coast. Or I could tell you the truth, which is that when I turned on the television this Sunday morning, my choices were limited to infomercials and bad cartoons or the Democratic Presidential Debate in Iowa. I know that there was another option: getting out of bed and going to face the day, but since this was essentially the last day of my summer vacation, I decided to let the furtive whimsy of George Stephanopoulos and the cast of dozens who would like to become the Democratic candidate for an election that is still more than a year away.
Of course I stayed in bed surrounded by my family and watched, rapt with interest. The nice thing about the range of candidates is the way that they have something for everyone. My son said,"It's about time we had a woman president." He also said, "It's about time we had a black president." This was followed up by the eventual, "Why isn't there a black woman running for president?" Maybe that "something for everyone" notion is working against us here.
We sat there on the bed, trying to recall the rules for debate, attempting to divine the winner. When it became apparent that it wasn't a debate in the strictest sense, but rather political theater, we resigned ourselves to watching for the person who emerged with the most clever answers. Dennis Kucinich, the best bet for the Leprechaun vote, stood patiently behind his podium on the far left of the stage, waiting to get his moment to shine. When asked about his personal belief in God, and if prayer could change world events, Senator Kucinich replied, "George, I've been standing here, praying that you would call on me." It didn't exactly change world events, but at least it brought a chuckle from the crowd, and that is why I see him as the clear front-runner until the next debate, which should be kicking over somewhere outside of Ames, Iowa even as you read this. Stay Tuned!