Doing 'OK' in Debates Is Not Good Enough

When Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain step onto the stage Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn., for their second presidential debate, Americans shouldn't expect to see two candidates praised for not making a mistake, stringing together a coherent sentence, or proving who can look into the camera more often.

This is the most ticked that I have been since this campaign started last century. And much of my anger resides with my fellow members of the media, who continue to utter some of the silliest commentary around.

Take, for instance, the debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin. We heard pundit after pundit talk about the low bar for Palin before the debate. And when it was over, she was praised to high heaven for being folksy and exceeding our wildest expectations.

Huh? Even a blind man and a deaf woman could have seen and heard that Biden totally dominated Palin, speaking with far more clarity and purpose than Palin ever could muster.

What was even more galling was seeing both vice presidential candidates praised for not causing a train wreck. Since when did we start giving people gold stars for not getting into accidents?!

America, we are failing you if this has become the standard. We are a nation growing increasingly dumb and simplistic because we've replaced actual intellect and ideas with who stands taller.

Call me idealistic or say I'm living in a dream world, but mediocrity should not be tolerated, and we all should be ashamed of ourselves when non-substantive stuff is used as the basis of true analysis.

Sure, I liked Palin's homespun language, but the "golly gee" talk got to the point that it felt contrived.

Frankly, I don't want an "average" American for president or vice president.

I want someone above average, who can speak coherently to our issues, concerns and fears.

I debated one commentator who said that McCain lost the first debate because he never looked at Obama and that Palin won her debate because she looked at the camera all night. Not health care, education, housing, Iraq, Afghanistan or some other major issue. No, it was who looked at the camera.

This is absurd, and we know it. How in the world can I have high expectations for my nieces when it comes to education but have a low bar for the folks who want to run the nation?

Sorry, I can't go for this. It's time for all of us to demand more, not less, of these candidates. Demand real answers, not some poll-tested drivel.

If this is what we are choosing to accept, then we deserve whatever comes our way. Mediocrity is not what we always have preached. So why start now?

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN contributor and the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." Please visit his Web site at www.RolandSMartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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