Bread and Circus--Minus the Bread

I'm not sure after how the 2016 Republican race for President turned out why Wisconsin Democrats are demanding that all ten of their candidates for Governor be allowed to take part in the state Broadcasters Association debate coming up next month.  It was those circuses in late 2015 and early 2016 that produced the eventual nominee and President Donald Trump.

I can understand why each of the individual candidates want to be on the stage.  The debate will provide essentially free advertising on dozens of radio and TV stations across the state.  And I'd be hard pressed to remember the GOP candidates from '16 that got shifted to the "JV Debates" that preceded the "Varsity contests" when the field was still about 15 or so. 

But consider the logistics of a ten-person debate.  The event is supposed to last an hour--so if you give everyone a minute for opening statements, a minute to answer questions and a minute for closing statements you will have time for just four questions of the candidates--each of whom will get a grand total of six minutes of microphone time.  If each candidate goes over by five-seconds in opening statements and the first two questions, you will only have time for three questions.

All of that will leave each candidate barely enough time to answer every question with "I think Scott Walker is bad--and Foxconn is bad too".  With the second candidate saying "I think Scott Walker is worse than bad--and Foxconn is worse than bad too"--until the final candidate is answering every question with the tenth degree of "badness" for Scott Walker and Foxconn.  (Although, the Wisconsin Public Television folks in the post-debate wrap up will tell us "All the candidates made some great points tonight!")

Think back to those Republican debates in 2016 again.  How did Donald Trump emerge as the "winner" in pretty much all of them?  It certainly wasn't by making great points about public policy or referring to nuances in international relations.  He was simply the biggest clown in the circus every night.  CNN and Fox News dedicated a camera and half the screen to Trump's reactions--even when every other candidate was talking.  And he mugged for the crowd, interrupted everyone else and insulted his competitors to their faces--and the TV audience loved it.

So how then do the ten Dems for Governor capture everyone's attention?  Well, I guess Kelda Roys could bring her baby on stage with her and breastfeed in the middle of the debate like she did in an on-line campaign video that would garnered zero views if she hadn't done that.  Tony Evers can use profanity in every sentence while answering questions.  Mahlon Mitchell could tell dirty jokes.  Paul Soglin can wear his favorite Che Guevara t-shirt while standing next to Mike McCabe in his blue jeans.  Kathleen Vinhout can conjure up crocodile tears while making up a story about a single mother she "met" who's "working three jobs", all of which only pay minimum wage.

So if you want a ten-person debate, consider moving the venue from a high school auditorium in Wausau to Circus World in Baraboo.  It would certainly fit under the big tent.