A Public Plea

I'm convinced that if you were to run into any of the Presidential candidates on the street, and ask them the time, they'd spend the next 2 hours telling you how to build a clock.

Here's my problem. If the candidate is asked whether she is right or left-handed, and she answers with her shoe size, along with a detailed explanation of how the bones in the feet work, you're probably going to have a fact-filled, long-winded oratory. But you don't have the answer to the question, do you?

I try to catch all the debates on both sides of the political spectrum. And I intend to catch as many more as are broadcast. But going forward, I have one request to make of each and every single participant: ANSWER THE DAMNED QUESTIONS!

I once had a Public Speaking class with an instructor who warned us not to construct a presentation made up of birdseed. In his admonition, "birdseed" was used to represent a whole lot of pretty rhetoric. If you get up and cover the ground with a whole pile of birdseed, and the birds eat it all up, what do you have left.

Folks, I appreciate that most of you are very well-educated. You have a nice command of the English language, but use it to answer the questions!

Rhetoric, bad. Truth good. And if you don't know, say so. Tell us, "Hey, let me get back to you on that." That might earn you some respect.