Debate Crasher - One Tough Ticket For A Liberal!

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Attending events at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center is not new to this writer.  Over the years, I have attended training events, boat shows, festivals, concerts, basketball games, trade shows and numerous other events at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.  I have purchased supplies and capital needs from vendors at the Hotel and Restaurant Show; I have interviewed hundreds of job seekers at the Annual Job Fairs and watched my daughter play high school basketball on the converted court. 

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All of these will pale in comparison to my visit to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center tomorrow, Monday Night, January 16.  I will be crashing the Republican Presidential Debate as the lone liberal.  Crashing might be somewhat overstated as I do have a ticket.  How a blue blood Democrat secured a ticket to this Republican event is an entirely separate story.  All I will say is that bartering took place, promises were made and money changed hands.

Although attending a Republican Presidential Debate has not made the "bucket list", it does stand tall among the many events I have attended in my lifetime.  This will be my first presidential debate and I am looking forward to seeing behind the curtain.  Presidential debates in our nation have significant history and tradition behind them.  Even though this debate is leading up to the nomination process, it is an important part of our free democratic society. 

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Who would not have wanted to be in the audience when Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen A. Douglas in 1858.  The two candidates had 7 debates in all and they remain in history as the most celebrated oratorical debates.  They debated slavery and The Union.  What about the Kennedy-Nixon debates of 1960.  They shared the stage four times and much of their debate focused around communism, Cuba and our nation's security. 

The issues facing these Republican candidates vying for their party's nomination are different than the issues that faced Lincoln and Douglas and even Kennedy and Nixon but every bit as significant for our nation today.  Today's issues of jobs, debt, security, immigration and a whole list of others make for a spirited forum to debate.  Unfortunately, much of tomorrow evening's debate will be about bashing President Obama and each other rather than trying to draw distinctions between candidate's views and plans. 

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Nevertheless, it should be a spirited event and one that I am looking forward to.  I am not a heckler and certainly not a protester so you won't be seeing me on camera trying to upstage this event.  As the lone liberal in the crowd, I will keep a rather low profile.  I do fear that a few of my Republican friends in attendance might think that I am considering a change in party affiliation.  Rather, I will be a part of this great nation's political process as these candidates try to work their magic in hopes of gaining support for their party's nomination. 

You never know, maybe some of the conservative, ideological viewpoints will capture my imagination and propel me to consider a new affiliation.  We shall see.