OPINION:
The Republican presidential debates and campaigns have deteriorated into unending personal attacks over issues that are essentially meaningless to the voters who want to see President Obama replaced.
If the core supporters of Republicans are turned off by all this, consider the effect on other groups that are looking for an alternative to Mr. Obama. Some pundits claim that this type of mudslinging will make the candidates stronger and give them the ability to better debate Mr. Obama. Given that there may be just three presidential debates, that is not a strong argument.
As many recent letter writers have expressed, the candidates need to focus on the destructive nature of Mr. Obama’s legislation and policies and how, as president, each of the candidates will act to make the appropriate and necessary changes. The candidates need to make it clear this is not only about electing the best Republican presidential candidate, but also about electing a Republican majority in the House and Senate - with the same resolve held by the new breed elected in 2010 by Republicans, independents and Democrats who wanted a better tomorrow.
In any future debates, the candidates should agree to deflect any moderator attempts to get into personal attacks. We are fortunate to have good candidates who have pledged to repeal or reverse Mr. Obama’s harmful legislation and put in place policies that will restore our country’s economy, security and personal freedoms. Now they just need to tell us voters how they will do it.
MARVIN L. HOOVIS
Centerville, Mass.
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