Second Republican Debate

The Republican debate on CNN this week was a revelation. Everyone there seemed to have a clear idea of what they're against, but no one appeared to have any kind of coherent picture of what they are for or how they would meet the needs of the American people.

They all hated Obamacare and said would repeal it right away. No one offered an idea of how to improve the health care system or meet the needs of those without insurance.

They all said they would defund Planned Parenthood. None said anything about how they would meet the health needs of women in America without it.

They all said they were against ISIS and would destroy it. No one mentioned that for the US to do that would require an American invasion of Syria, or if that was what they were proposing. (To his credit, at least in terms of honesty, Lindsay Graham actually did admit to having exactly that in mind in the preliminary debate among the four candidates with the weakest support.)

They all said they were against the nuclear inspection deal with Iran. All but two said they would simply tear it up, leaving no inspection protocol in effect at all, and in effect leaving no other option but war. Rand Paul and John Kasich were the only ones to suggest working within the treaty with our allies.

All said they were for harsh crackdowns on "illegal aliens," with Marco Rubio tacitly repudiating his own Senate legislation on comprehensive immigration. No one offered much in the way of solutions other than building more and bigger walls.

Most of all, they all fell all over themselves attacking Hillary Clinton, and each other. There was a cringeworthy back and forth between Jeb Bush and Donald Trump over Bush's allegations that Trump showed up at Bush's Florida office when he was governor with an offer of campaign cash, asking for Bush's help in approving a casino project. Trump's vehement 'no I didn'ts' and Bush's insistent 'yes you dids' reached a new bottom. Apparently lost on everyone was the certainty that at least one of them was lying with pants-on-fire intensity.

All in all, there was little to inspire confidence in the vision of these candidates. Several of them painfully appeared to lack even the basic personal maturity to be considered for such a position of responsibility. Entertainment value can only take you so far.