The other day I quoted Lorrie Moore on the experience of watching the Republican presidential candidates debate: "There is always something if not a lot to learn from watching a circus--one is both amazed by and sorry for the animals." What about the people who go to the circus? Three debates ago--I think that was the one in which the mere mention of 234 death row inmates executed during Candidate Perry's time as Governor of Texas elicited raucous cheers from the crowd. Two debates ago--that must have been the one in which Wolf Blitzer, of CNN, asked Ron Paul what should happen to a (formerly) healthy 30-year-old who has decided not to buy health insurance and then falls into a coma that requires emergency treatment. Should he just be permitted to die? "Yeah!" shouted several audience members at once. (It seems that quite a few members of the pro-life party get a big chubby when contemplating the deaths of other human beings.) And when, in the last debate, a question, from a gay soldier stationed in Iraq, was put in a way that made clear he supports the repeal of DADT, the audience booed him. Also: none of the candidates rebuked the audience, none thanked the soldier in even the most perfunctory fashion for his service to our country, and Rick Santorum "answered" the question in a way that suggests he's under the impression that the military now bans heterosexuals, but not homosexuals, from having sex. (When trying to decide who is the daftest of them all, you keep changing your mind, as each takes a turn at speaking.)
Ryan Lizza says the best approach is to try and laugh about it. Toward that end, he solicited Tweets answering the question: Who will Republicans boo in their next debate? For those not inclined to follow the link, here are some of my favorite responses:
@jonathan chait: Immigrant puppies with cancer
@Awberman: Bert and Ernie
@nxthompson: People who've been vaccinated against HPV
@DraneSpout: Gay, baby SEALs
