Miner Queries: Can we take the GOP field seriously?

I spent last Thursday sick to my stomach. From the time I woke to the morning news to each time I checked in with major media, I felt nauseous. While pundits were salivating about the first Republican debate, I merely felt dread.
Would I watch? As a political columnist, I felt I had to. But the run-up to what I viewed as an impending circus made me want to bury my head in a book.
When did politics become entertainment? And if it’s merely entertainment, how can we expect these candidates to govern seriously?
I have been asking that question off and on since the election of Ronald Reagan.
Liberals seemed to be gleefully lining up to watch as the oversized Republican field of non-serious candidates, headed by Donald Trump, engage in a competition to say the most outrageous and probably hateful things.
Meanwhile grassroot “conservatives” actually seem to be taking guys like Trump seriously. When I hear comments like, “Well, one thing about Trump – he can’t be bought!” I cringe.
Really? The guy is a big-time businessman -- a wheeler dealer. He is building his brand, and if someone hands him the right deal, you think he won’t take it? His candidacy is part of his business plan. He’s not running to “make America great again.” He’s running to make a mint.
And another thing, when it comes to running organizations, he’s an autocrat. Is that what you want in a president? You really trust the Donald to look out for your best interests?
Trump is not alone among candidates building a brand. Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee and Carly Fiorina, as those with little to no public service record, immediately come to mind.
But even some of the governors and junior congressmen in the ring seem to be more interested in building name recognition than finding real solutions to America’s problems. I’d include Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Scott Walker and Bobby Jindal in this group. One look at their actual records in government should send voters running the opposite direction.
“Politics is a serious business. It’s about people’s lives, their hopes, their dreams, their futures. It’s about war and peace and the fate of the planet. It’s wrong to treat it as a sporting event or a form of entertainment,” writes Heather Digby Parton in a Salon article about the debate.
So what did I think?
A tweet I saw by @pourmecoffee said it best: “That was like a Game of Thrones episode. I’m going to have to see it again to figure out who’s dead.”
Thankfully, no fights broke out, but disappointingly few facts were presented either. It was the usual platitudes, pandering and whitewashing of records.
No candidate seemed to grasp basic economic facts such as taxes fund government, so cutting taxes means you must cut government services. Nor did they seem to grasp that in recent history, it’s been Democratic, not Republican, administrations that have cut government spending. I don’t believe the middle class was mentioned once.
No one broke into the lead Thursday night; no one presented a new vision for America. But then, I didn’t expect that from these Republicans.
It’s going to be a long election season.
Cherie Miner is a local parent, community volunteer, freelance writer and artist. In a former life, she was a corporate writer and public relations professional. Contact her at news@redoakexpress.com or on Facebook.