In a word, television. Commercial breaks and the constant “innovations” that cater to the TV viewer take the focus away from actually discussing the issues.
Any legitimate idea is going to take more than 30 seconds to explain. The vast majority or people don't read Mises or Hayek. The Austrian explanation of the economic collapse cannot be quickly explained, yet it is intuitively accepted by most who do take the time to listen or study the question.
The modern debate format precludes such explanation; the time constraints imposed by television destroy such meaningful discourse. Candidates are not all asked the same questions, so there is no hope for an apples-to-apples comparison.
Instead, they are asked absurdly insignificant questions like "American Idol or Dancing with the Stars?" Or legitimate questions are asked without a reasonable opportunity to give answers.
“Congressman Paul, explain why the housing market is terrible, while juggling the collected works of Lord Keynes…Quick, you have 8 seconds…”
The result is that shallow clowns like Herman Cain and Barack Obama rise to the top with empty sloganeering and one-liners, without giving actual answers. Evasive politician-types like Romney and Santorum have just enough time to say "America is the best" and evade any further answer.
The American people continue to be largely ignorant of the views of those who vie to represent them, and cast ballots on the basis of who has the nicest hair or speaks the most eloquently.
Meanwhile. the American Republic is crushed under the weight of an ever expanding Federal apparatus and we are forced to grovel at the feet of our self-appointed dictators.
But hey-If you want to hear an actual explanation of the issues, Here ya go.
Any legitimate idea is going to take more than 30 seconds to explain. The vast majority or people don't read Mises or Hayek. The Austrian explanation of the economic collapse cannot be quickly explained, yet it is intuitively accepted by most who do take the time to listen or study the question.The modern debate format precludes such explanation; the time constraints imposed by television destroy such meaningful discourse. Candidates are not all asked the same questions, so there is no hope for an apples-to-apples comparison.
Instead, they are asked absurdly insignificant questions like "American Idol or Dancing with the Stars?" Or legitimate questions are asked without a reasonable opportunity to give answers.
“Congressman Paul, explain why the housing market is terrible, while juggling the collected works of Lord Keynes…Quick, you have 8 seconds…”
The result is that shallow clowns like Herman Cain and Barack Obama rise to the top with empty sloganeering and one-liners, without giving actual answers. Evasive politician-types like Romney and Santorum have just enough time to say "America is the best" and evade any further answer.
The American people continue to be largely ignorant of the views of those who vie to represent them, and cast ballots on the basis of who has the nicest hair or speaks the most eloquently.
Meanwhile. the American Republic is crushed under the weight of an ever expanding Federal apparatus and we are forced to grovel at the feet of our self-appointed dictators.
But hey-If you want to hear an actual explanation of the issues, Here ya go.
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