In ancient Rome, the masses were distracted by the spectacles presented in the Colosseum. As our republic devolves from government of the people to oligarchy, our rulers are hewing to the lessons of their Roman predecessors. In Wednesday night's debate, we were given the circus of ancient times, not a successor to the Lincoln/Douglas Debates.
On the left of our screens, was the orange freak show the media has fed us for a year. On the right, was the illusion of feminist, progressive liberalism. Rather than lions, gladiators and Christians, we beheld the vulgarity of a major party candidate without impulse control, intellect, decency or self awareness. His opponent: the embodiment of the intersection of crony capitalism with political careerism.
While WikiLeaks has exposed as fact the suspicions that Clinton holds environmentalists in contempt, is inclined to let bankers regulate themselves and is in collusion with the corporate mass media, she was allowed to get away with framing the discussion not on the content of the leaked emails, but on the method of their exposure. It was a debate of celebrity, not substance. Trump, Putin, Hillary.
Trump is so ignorant, self absorbed and inarticulate that he missed multiple opportunities to entangle Clinton in a web of her own illogic and deception. Two people stood on the stage last night. Only one of them has gotten people killed. Yet, what the public heard was an argument about Trump's opinion on the Iraq War, 13 years ago. Clinton snipped that, "I've said it was a mistake", referring to her Yes vote on the war, much as a teenager would stamp their foot and declare 'I said I was sorry!' No discussion about whose mistake, what the mistake was or what the consequences of her mistake were. Rather than point out that the 2003 invasion of Iraq led to the birth of ISIS, Trump confused his audience with childish declarations that "Obama and Hillary created ISIS" (presumably while she was Secretary of State). Of the three, only Senator Clinton had to the Constitutional power to vote on the actual war. In 2003, Obama was in the Illinois legislature and The Donald was a real estate developer turned TV star.
Trump, furiously denying accusations of sexual misconduct, with an outrage that conflicts with his public self image as unrestrained libertine, failed to force Clinton to account for her family's behavior. Bill Clinton, Hillary, their liberal supporters and the mass media have always treated Bill Clinton's accusers with a skepticism and contempt that they would never tolerate toward the accusers of Donald Trump, Bill Cosby or nearly any athlete.
And so went the night. Trump would act stranger and stranger, the clock began to wind down and neither would have to explain what the world would really be like, if they were elected. Once again, Clinton pointed out how heartless Trump's refugee policies would be, without explaining to the voters what the future will look like, after she is elected. Instead, it was 'look! there's a squirrel!' An honest discussion of refugees, energy or national security would center on the emergency of climate change. Instead, we were treated to the tired discussion of the mean things Trump has said about Mexicans and Muslims and to Clinton's platitudes about how America is Great because America is Good.
What voters need to be told is that the wave of refugees we witnessed flooding into Europe this last year is nothing compared to what will happen when climate change forces millions to march out of Africa, not fleeing war, but in search of food. That's a national security issue they don't discuss. It will happen. For 10,000 years humans have migrated when famine or climate have made their homes uninhabitable. This will lead to reduced standards of living, worldwide, political instability and wars. Trump huffed and puffed and Clinton offered lip service to an onrushing global emergency.
Clinton says she came to oppose the TransPacificPartnership when she learned of how it was going to hurt workers. Yet, she had the treaty text when it was being negotiated and when she said, 45 times, that she supported it (even calling it the "gold standard"). After she left the State Department, Obama wouldn't even let senators, such as Elizabeth Warren, see the final text. So, when did HRC come to oppose it? What new provisions does it include that were not there when she had promoted it? Who knows? Putin! Sexual assault! Crooked Hillary! Liar! Nasty! Emmy awards! ... Lions! Christians!
Climate change. Israel. Saudi Arabia. Yemen. Government surveillance. Health care solutions. Income inequality. We heard nothing. We saw nothing but the circus.
