News and Views

Primary Awards
by Ray Chadwick

One joy of living in New Hampshire is the Presidential primary process. It’s a chance for a serious exploration of the candidates’ opinions, values, plans, personality, perspective and intentions.

The Presidential debates had the potential to support such an exploration, but often reduced the most important issues to 30 second responses and an occasional “show of hands”. The country’s challenges, and the choices to be made, are more complex than that.

Following are some awards for the most interesting (and entertaining) events of the primary season.

The “Some People Have All the Luck!” Award goes to:
Debate organizers who announced that stage positions for the debates were randomly selected. It was just chance that the “Big Three” of each Party always got to be center-stage.

The “Fairness in Media” Award goes to:
CNN for presenting to Governor Romney a question on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (on gays in the military) when the questioner (who was on the steering committee of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans for Hillary, and had previously appeared on CNN) was already in the audience (flown cross-country by CNN to be there) to critique Romney.
CNN for presenting to Senator Clinton the question: “Do you prefer diamonds or pearls?”

The “Everyone Plays Gotcha” Award goes to:
Senator Clinton for saying New York Governor Spitzer’s plan to give driver’s licenses to illegal aliens made sense, but that she “did not say it should be done.”

The “Why Is This So Difficult?” Award goes to:
Senator Obama for saying he voted for driver’s licenses for illegal aliens in Illinois, but “I am not proposing that’s what we do here.” He finally admitted he supported them.

The Best Debate Answer Award goes to:
Senator Thompson who was asked to raise his hand if he agreed that “global climate change is a serious threat and caused by human activity.” and refused to do so unless given a minute to respond to the question.

The “What Gender Card?” Award goes to:
Senator Clinton who stated she wasn’t playing the gender card (just the winning card), then immediately described her “history-making” campaign to break through “the highest, hardest glass ceiling” and how women (and fathers of daughters) tell her they can’t wait “to see a woman in the White House.”

The “Oops” Award goes to:
Governor Romney for twice having the Boston Globe report that the company that maintains his lawn was using illegal aliens to do so.

The “Hello Dear” Award goes to:
Mayor Giuliani for interrupting a campaign speech to take a call from, and chat with, his wife.

The “No Prior Knowledge” Award goes to:
Columnist Bob Novak reported that “agents” of the Clinton campaign were stating they had scandalous information about Obama but decided not to release it. A Clinton campaign Co-Chairman told reporters that Obama (if nominated) would be vulnerable to “Republicans” questioning his drug use and whether he had sold drugs. Senator Clinton had no prior knowledge of these statements.

The “Should Have Stopped Talking” Award goes to:
Governor Huckabee who said he couldn’t comment on Mormonism because he didn’t know much about it, then asked ‘‘Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?’’ (They don’t.)

The Best Christmas Video Award goes to:
Senator Obama for a tasteful and uplifting ad that appealed to that which unites us, included his family, and included a wish for a “Merry Christmas”.

The Worst Christmas Video Award goes to:
Senator Clinton for sorting gifts with cards listing goodies for every special interest, portraying herself as a benefactor who would bestow those benefits on us. “Now where did I put Universal Pre-K?”

Frivolity aside, we are interviewing here for a person who will hold the most powerful executive position in the world.

The Constitution gives the President the power to:

- Be the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States
- Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States
- Make Treaties with the Advice and Consent of the Senate
- Nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States
- Receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers
- Take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed
- Commission all the Officers of the United States

The next President must deal with the War on Terror, Iraq, the ambitions of Iran, Korea, China and Russia, the economy, relations with allies and adversaries, and contain the expansion of bureaucracy and the spending of Congress.

He or she must rely on principle and a steadfast devotion to the oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Our challenge was to pick to one who best qualifies. I hope you made your vote count.