Ethan: Hello? Anybody out there actually want to talk about issues affecting the future of Maine?

Phil: I do.

Ethan: That makes all of us. Instead, all that the gubernatorial campaigns seem to be debating is whether to debate.

Phil: First, Cutler runs an ad claiming no one wants to debate him, when everyone had already agreed to debate. Then LePage says he won’t come to any debates because a PAC supporting Michaud said something untoward. And then Michaud adds to his flip-flop resume by saying he will now debate Cutler if LePage isn’t in the room.

Ethan: My head hurts. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if all this energy was spent actually debating what Maine people care about?

Phil: You mean like who among us shoulders the heaviest tax burden and benefits the least from a government which holds back the private sector?

Ethan: I would love to debate who shoulders the heaviest tax burden and who benefits the most from all our government investment (hint, it ain’t you think)!

Phil: Or maybe we could debate implementing a culture where business regulators stop playing “gotcha” and start focusing on assistance.

Ethan: Or maybe the importance of keeping our environment clean in order to strengthen our economy and the health of everyone.

Phil: Or how Maine will support our veterans with mental health services, education and housing after they have sacrificed so much for the rest of us.

Ethan: Or how to create more affordable access to health care so that we reverse the current trend in Maine where the percentage of uninsured is rising.

Phil: Or prioritizing public safety. The core of pursuing one’s happiness is to first be safe.

Ethan: Or expanding equality so more and more people can be free from discrimination and harassment.

Phil: Or preserving our outdoors for recreation and hunting, keeping our cultural heritage (and our economy) strong for the next generation.

Ethan: Or stopping domestic violence against women and children, one of the leading causes of murder in Maine.

Phil: Or maintaining our Second Amendment rights.

Ethan: Or passing background checks so we can keep guns out of the hands of terrorists.

Phil: Or reducing drug abuse and its effects on families and society at-large.

Ethan: Or protecting a woman’s right to an abortion and her right to make her own health decisions about her own body.

Phil: Or encouraging manufacturers and sustainable farmers to come back to Maine to create the kind of jobs that can actually support a family.

Ethan: Or raising the minimum wage, so that current jobs can actually support a family.

Phil: Or not raising the minimum wage since being laid-off is never a good way to support a family!

Ethan: Or what’s the best way to create the No. 1 education system in the country so our kids can grow up to support their families in our ever-changing economy.

Phil: Or highlighting welfare abuse – well, maybe that gets enough debate.

Ethan: Too much, if you ask me! Look at all the issues we can ramble off in 60 seconds. This race is too important to our future to be stuck in this Seinfeld campaign about nothing.

Phil: Agreed. That said, the candidates may not be worthy of all the blame. The media decides what matters, then cycles it to our eyes and ears.

Ethan: Yes, but if the candidates don’t talk about it, the media won’t cover it.

Phil: But the candidates have rolled out policy proposals and LePage has four years in office. Doesn’t the media bear some responsibility to push this stuff out?

Ethan: Sure, but they (we) have written/spoken about their policy proposals. When Cutler rolled out “State of Opportunity” and Michaud presented “Maine Made” and LePage published “Moving Maine Forward,” we analyzed each on TV, and this paper wrote about each. But honestly, most of this stuff is pretty boilerplate. You want attention on policy, say something interesting.

Phil: I certainly agree that the policy proposals have been pretty tame and not worthy of the challenges our state confronts, but I think you are putting too much blame on the candidates. To paraphrase your favorite bard, “The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” I think the general public bears some responsibility.

Ethan: Sure, but the general public is not sending out news releases about oral sex or producing TV ads that debate debates.

Phil: Fair enough. Certainly, as the recent finance reports show, all three candidates have plenty of cash (or the potential to give themselves the cash) to run ads that actually rise above this fray.

Ethan: Let’s hope they wake up in time to smell the coffee.

Phil: Speaking of smelling the coffee, how about we let our readers know that WCSH 6 and WLBZ 2 will be starting a new political segment on Sunday mornings called the “Political Brew With Phil & Ethan.”

Ethan: Yes, indeed. The implacable and irascible Jackie Ward will be hosting (and corralling) our weekly political roundup and look-ahead from 7 to 8 a.m., starting Oct. 5.

Phil: God help her.

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