I have not been watching many of the Republican debates.  First, there are so dang many of them, and they are barely touching the most serious issues our nation faces (15% real unemployment, $15 Trillion in debt, $1 Trillion deficit, etc.)  Second, the Republicans as a whole have to be the most inept politicians ever. For example, Saturday night’s debate was moderated by George Stephanopuolos. Yeah, the Stephanopoulos who worked in the Clinton Administration.  Bless their hearts.

The proper response should have been, “No I won’t participate in a debate moderated by a former Democratic operative. Stop smoking whatever it is you’re smoking; it can’t be legal.”

At the debate, apparently the pressing issue wasn’t that our debt has surpassed our GDP, it was the 1960 Supreme Court decision overturning state laws prohibiting contraception.

Ann Althouse has an  interesting post on Stephanopolous’ exchange with Mitt Romney that you should read after you read my post. This particular sentence caught my eye:

I wish everyone would say “power” and not “right” in that context of what governments may do.

Governments don’t have rights. They have power derived from the consent of the governed in order to secure the rights of the governed. Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?

What I wish Romney and every other Republican candidate would say to such nonsense is that the state has exercised all sorts of power in varied ways that are much more relevant to the lives of Americans than rehashing a decades old Supreme Court decision. A few examples:

• The EEOC has sent employers an “advisory letter” stating that a high school diploma may be discriminatory.
• The state passed a “consumer protection” law that  has banned books older than 25 years old, crippled thrift and resale stores, and put handmade toy companies out of business.
• The city of San Francisco tried to smack down McDonald’s and it’s evil Happy Meal. Tried and failed. I’m sure they’ll come up with another tactic.
• And then we have the whole light bulb fiasco.  Will they? Won’t they? Who knows!
• The state currently can, without court order, prevent you from using your property as you see fit and levy heavy fines for crimes against nature.

(But of course Romney, who signed into law a health care bill that requires citizens to buy a particular product from government approved vendors, might not be the best person to talk about excessive state power.)

My point is, the Republican candidates need to stop playing games with media outlets whose primary purpose seems to be to produce “gotcha” moments. The 1965 Supreme Court  decision on contraception has very little to do with politics today. (And I do think Romney handled that exchange well. It was a silly question.)  A government drunk on spending and power is relevant.  Get that through your heads, candidates. And lay off the debates. You look like you’re on some sort of psychotic game show.