The debates are over, but did they really accomplish anything?
They certainly created a lot of memorable sound clips for the media, left and right-biased, to misinterpret and take out of context. Both President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney have taken cheap shots at each other and turned the presidential race into a typical American popularity contest.
With each avoided question, sly smile and disappointed frown, the candidates have managed to reaffirm our belief in the American political process as nothing more than ape-like chest beating. It may sound cynical, but when we look at how divided our country has become over the past four years, we can't help but shake our heads.
Why do we feel the need to fight over such arbitrary labels? Again, apes come to mind.
Admit it. Debates, at least the ones we've watched during the past month, don't really accomplish anything. Unless one of the candidates admits to inviting war criminals over for brunch, we won't change our vote. They can both tout their accomplishments, but all we really care about is the mudslinging.
We all know why our country has become so mean spirited, but no one really wants to say it. We know there is no singular figure to blame, but we like to pretend anyway. The debates are the perfect example of our lack of responsibility as a nation.
In America, we love to blame and insult, but we don't like to actually work toward making our country better. Our faith in our elected officials to rectify the mess we all created is astounding.
You can blame our problems on the Bush or Obama administrations or a global conspiracy engineered by a sentient wheel of cheese, but until we take responsibility for our actions and stop letting our politicians run our lives, blaming others is all we will be doing.
If the debates have taught us anything, it's that we can shout and rant and rave all we want, but in the end, politicians really only do what they want to do. Some are more reckless than others, but they certainly can't fix the gigantic problems we get ourselves into.
When you go to the ballots Tuesday, Nov. 6, keep in mind we are ultimately in control of which way our country goes. If we work together, we can accomplish great things. However, if we continue down the path of division and hatred, then we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
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