Are y’all as excited for the Presidential Foreign Policy debate as I am? Probably not – but prepare yourselves. If I can’t get you fired up, the FP Debate Bingo/Drinking Game at the bottom of this post might.
I’m excited because a few weeks ago this campaign was over. Romney made multiple foreign policy gaffes, including this Israel-Palestine one, the 47% video broke and Obama jumped up above the margin of error in the swing-state polls. Then, last week, the campaign was over again.
Nothing could stop the Presidential-looking Romney. He killed it in that debate. The swing state polls came back within the margin of error and Romney pushed ahead of Obama on the national level in a Gallup tracking poll. (Let me remind you that there were seven other front-runners during the primary season, Pawlenty, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich, Paul, Santorum (Disclaimer: I giggled typing Santorum (did it again writing the disclaimer)). The one thing the first debate showed us: This race is far from over (they technically have 21 days left depending on when this is published).
Then came the VP Debate. Biden succeeded in halting Obama’s bleeding polls. He stepped over the line in beating back Ryan. Regardless of the fact Ryan was spewing lie after lie – the viewers saw a bully picking on the dorky squirrely kid. (Highlight – Biden: “Now’ you’re Jack Kennedy?”) You have to watch the SNL cold-open last week – Brilliant.
Fast-forward to tonight, just before the third debate – we are likely to see a stellar performance by Obama (if not over-reaching), which will propel the campaign to the final debate – the October 22nd Foreign Policy showdown. That will eat up a news cycle and then we are in GOTV (Get Out The Vote – where campaigns stop persuading and focus on turnout).
Why, specifically, am I excited? (Other than that I am a student of International Studies at American University) The candidates will finally sit down and spent 90 minutes discussing the most important aspect of their job description.
All anyone has talked about for two years is the economy because that is what affects most Americans (specifically the 7.8% unemployed and the unknown tens of thousands who gave up looking for work) – but the President’s more important duty is the upkeep of the American image abroad.
Blaming and crediting Presidents for jobs numbers and economic prosperity/recession is a favorite past time of the American people, Congress specifically. Compared to the perception of the President’s influence over the economy, the reality is astounding. The Fed is an independent agency. Congress controls the budget and “the allowance” (government spending). The global economy is completely out of the President’s control (thanks a lot Greece).
The President is the face of the nation to the world. He decides whether we (not go to war) intervene in foreign conflicts. He decided to go into Bosnia and Somalia and not into Rwanda. He started wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He fought and won the Cold War. He contained communism. He rebuilt Europe. He killed Osama Bin Laden, Khalid Sheik Mohammad and Saddam Hussein. He expanded to the Pacific. He won Texas from Mexico and bought Alaska from the Russians. He took us to the moon and beyond.
As much as I hate to say this: The President’s duties span beyond employment and jobs numbers. He (and hopefully someday I can say “she” as well) is the reason our country looks the way it does and maintains the power it does. American economic might plays a major role in that – but GDP isn’t the responsibility of the President – it’s the 300+million and 535 lawmakers .
I expect my President to represent our nation abroad, not get bogged down in day-to-day minutia. The Constitution allocates legislation to the Legislature and Execution to the Executive. I want a President at the helm, not an economist.
First – credit is due to Washington’s central nervous system: Politico’s Mike Allen who first broke these topics days ago.
CBS anchor; Bob Schieffer is expected to perform much better than PBS’s Jim Lehrer, punching bag of the first debate.
The topics (subject to change):
1- America’s role in the world
2- Our longest war – Afghanistan and Pakistan
3- Red Lines – Israel and Iran
4- The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – I
5- The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – II
6- The Rise of China and Tomorrow’s World
Earlier this week I published a piece on Red Lines and the relationship between Israel-Iran-Netanyahu-Obama and the upcoming election. I’m excited to see what Obama and Romney have to say about these topics, specifically the future of the relationship between Israel and Iran, and under what circumstances the United States will intervene.
I advise you to take a look at their websites for Foreign Policy stances and see if their answers vary from their stump. That’s where the good stuff is. Mittens – Barry
