Debates: Meg & Jerry should do 25

John Seiler: Meg Whitman is OK with three debates until the November election, Jerry wants 10. But what we should have is two debates every week. That would be about 25.

My idea comes from the JFK-Goldwater debates of 1964. The men were friendly rivals from their days in the U.S. Senate in the 1950s. For JFK’s 1964 re-election bid, assuming Goldwater as his opponent, they planned to tour the country holding frequent debates. How wonderful that would have been.

Instead, JFK was assassinated. Goldwater was nominated by the Republicans, but the conservative was demonized as a warmonger by President LBJ. LBJ won easily, then himself turned out to be the warmonger who in 1965 sent American ground troops into Vietnam. (Before, there had been only 15,000 advisors, which JFK was getting ready to withdraw.)

LBJ’s war killed 58,000 Americans, several million Vietnamese, and bankrupted America. It also brought about massive anti-war protests, especially in California, that gave rise to the counter-culture that, ever since, has run and ruined American culture, especially the schools.

In 1964, LBJ refused to debate Goldwater. What a coward LBJ was.

Anyway, the point is that we need many debates. Jerry and Meg should tour California, holding 25 debates in all the major cities of our state.

Do it for the memory of Barry and JFK.