At least with debates, you've got issues. No debates, round-the-clock, TV-time silliness.
If you caught any of Charlie Rose's Friday morning interview with Rick Santorum on CBS, maybe, like me, you're so sorry you complained about those 19 GOP presidential-candidate debates, you're ready to put a 12-day cruise to nowhere between you and the TV.
For all the pettiness and poutiness and clashing egos during the debates, there was, on every stage, at least a little substance and control between candidates and moderators. Between Rose and Santorum Friday morning, there was nothing but an epic harangue on a subject that should -- would -- be over today and we could just have had another debate Thursday night. Or soon.
The subject of the harangue? His top donor's tasteless dud of a joke about effective birth control being aspirin between the knees.
All it did was give Santorum a chance to accuse Rose of playing "gotcha." And it gave Rose a chance to link Santorum to Foster Friess' gaffe and point out for the umpteenth time what a scary character the former Pennsylvania senator is to women voters.
Like there's anyone left on the planet who doesn't know the boy-next-door candidate is a social conservative, particularly on women's issues.
All the mainstream networks have taken a swipe at Santorum over Friess' remark.
On Thursday's World News, ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl claimed the "joke" was "consistent with Santorum's Catholic faith, but also a reminder of just how far to the right he is on social issues, even once comparing homosexuality to bestiality." Then, on NBC Nightly News Thursday night, Kelly O'Donnell said that Friess "veered into volatile territory" with the joke that "caught fire."
If there was a presidential debate, some smarmy moderator would take the Friess comment, get it up on stage, get it out and get it over with. End of story.
Now every time a candidate messes up, or utters something provocative or entertaining or faintly controversial -- clang, clang, get out of the road because the network pundits will run you over like a cable car on Telegraph Hill.
The conversation is out of control. It's a runaway -- nobody is steering and it has no brakes.
Which is a great shame.
During one 2011 debate, when Santorum said, (Contraceptives) are not OK because they're a license to do things in the sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. Theyre supposed to be within marriage, they are supposed to be for purposes that are, yes, conjugal, but also procreative -- when he was second-guessed post-debate for that remark, Friess stepped up to the plate on network television and made this comment:
Who cares? Do you honestly think that if Senator Santorum becomes president, were going to get rid of contraceptives?
No gaffe that time. In fact, Friess brought the discussion down to earth probably better than any post-debate "analyst" eyeballing Santorum that night.
I miss the nuances and sanity and a kind of rocking-chair reason that debates bring to the GOP race.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
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