There is a wide variety of drinking games dedicated to Republican presidential debates, everything from taking a shot every time Rudy Giuliani mentions September 11th to chugging a beer when one of the candidates praises Ronald Reagan (two beers if they claim that he ended the Cold War).
Unfortunately, I did not partake in any of these drinking games during last Tuesday’s YouTube/CNN debate and hence I was forced to soberly witness the future of the Republican Party.
I knew it was going to be disastrous from the onset, with Mitt Romney trying to insult Giuliani for immigrants in New York City, and Giuliani brilliantly rebutting by arguing that Romney had immigrants cutting the lawn of his Massachusetts mansion.
Click to watch a video of the instance
Instead of putting forth a real platform on immigration – and perhaps recognizing the fact that it is a very real problem in our country – each of the candidates tried to prove that he hated the idea of amnesty more than any one else. Because, apparently, to run a country you have to really, really hate immigrants.
However, the only thing you have to hate more than immigrants is the legalization of abortion.
Mike Huckabee , the governor of Arkansas, is effectively running an anti-choice campaign.
Romney, who was pro-choice when he ran for governor of liberal Massachusetts, is now conveniently pro-life. He spent half of the debate saying that he was completely and utterly wrong for ever thinking that women should have the right to choose given to them by the Supreme Court.
Giuliani’s main obstacle is that he is not strictly pro-life.
It was so depressing to watch these men talk about immigration and abortion and fall all over themselves trying to pander to some ultra-conservative sect they feel they need to appease.
Click to watch the abortion debate
What about real immigration laws that recognize that we have illegal immigrants in this country, recognize they committed crimes by coming here, but also recognize that they are invaluable assets to our economy?
What about real abortion debates that accept that no woman ever wants to have an abortion and accept that fully outlawing abortion doesn’t greatly reduce abortion rates, just makes them more dangerous?
It won’t happen, because since the Republican Party has been hijacked by the super-conservatives, real dialogue has vanished.
Instead of military reform, we’re forced to listen to Duncan Hunter talk about how homosexuals can’t serve in the military because the other good Christian soldiers won’t accept them.
Rather than talking about the war, we have Romney trying to tell Arizona Sen. John McCain that water-boarding isn’t necessarily torture.
This country has serious issues that need to be solved by people who are willing to bring together a currently divided country. However, we have Republicans who refuse to talk about health care but make promises to never raise taxes.
The Democrats aren’t perfect, and their debates have had plenty of petty bickering.
But at least when Barack Obama insulted Hillary Clinton in last October’s debate it was about her voting on Iraq, and not her penchant for hiring illegal landscapers.
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards took time to emphasize his comprehensive health care plan, which has a universal health care goal.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson spoke passionately about improving the education system (something that can’t be done without the taxes the Republicans so stridently despise). All spoke of trying to fix the damage caused by the Iraq War.
I’m not saying the Democrats have all the answers. All I’m saying is the Republicans refuse to even acknowledge the real questions.
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