Thoughts on Final Presidential Debate

I’m not sure which is worse, watching San Francisco beat the St Louis Cardinals 9-0 in Game 7 in the midst of a torrential downpour or listening to the final presidential debate when Mitt Romney attacked Barack Obama about a weak military that is smaller now “than at any time since 1917.”

Even though I got a kick out of the commander-in-chief’s rebuttal—“Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets”—I still found the whole thing depressing. By the time moderator Bob Schieffer flubbed up “Obama bin Laden” my spirit of democracy sank to an all time low.

I knew I should have watched Dancing with the Stars instead.

Honestly, I don’t know what to believe any more, especially when Romney’s sweaty upper lip reminded me of Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. And why were the candidates overusing the word “tumult,” which derives from the Yiddish word “tumel?” Maybe they were trying to appeal to the Jewish voter. To me, the most quotable line of the night  was “Go Vote Now. It’ll make you feel big and strong.” That came from came from Schieffer’s mom, may her memory be a blessing.

Even though the debate’s focus last night was supposed to be about international affairs, I worry that the finger pointing in regard to foreign policy makes our country appear weak in the eyes of our enemies. When it comes to controversial issues about the U.S. interests in the Middle East, I’m more nervous about nuclear weapons and Israel’s security than I am Obamacare.

All I can say is that I wish Ranier Muuss was old enough to run for president, but this little redheaded political expert is only six years old. In his regular appearances as an election correspondent on the Ellen DeGeneres show, he told the audience when he runs for office in 2040, his platform will be, “I’m not Republican. I’m not Democrat. I’m American.”