The Frontrunner, the Dwarfs and the Debate

Oregon Public Broadcasting brushed off objections by Mayor Sam Adams, but it may be harder to sustain a GOP presidential primary debate in Portland without a frontrunner.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney dispatched a staff member to announce he wouldn't be participating in the March 19 debate in Portland hosted by OPB and broadcast by National Public Radio. Now the question is whether any of the three other remaining presidential candidates will participate. So far, only Newt Gingrich has committed to attend.

While Gingrich's outsized personality and political rhetoric can fill a stage, it is debatable whether the debate will go on if he is a solo act.

There have been 20 Republican presidential debates, the last one February 23 in Arizona. The contest since then has turned into a regional sideshow with Romney, Gingrich and Rick Santorum stumping the country in the shadow of advertising by their respective supporting SuperPACs. Ron Paul depends on his organic grassroots network of support.

The presidential debates may have gone off-script as they degenerated into squabbling, which didn't looked especially presidential. Since Super Tuesday, when Romney picked up victories, including in two states where his main opponents failed to get on the ballot, the frontrunner has chosen to campaign on his status as frontrunner.

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Thoughts about the 'Sugar-Coated Satan Sandwich'

The debt-ceiling crisis has been averted, but at what cost? Many economists, businesses and average American families worry the economy is heading south again, maybe toward a double-dip recession.

As Congress waged partisan and ideological war over the debt ceiling, federal deficits and national debt, consumer spending began to sag. Reports out this week indicate Americans spent less last month for the first time in two years. And that's before the impact of any federal spending cuts are actually felt.

Economic columnist Paul Krugman and others have warned screwing down federal spending at this fragile point in the economic recovery was misguided and destined to return the U.S. economy to recession. Republicans generally have dismissed such claims, saying the best way to boost the economy is to reduce federal spending and get out of the way of private investment.

But investment follows demand and demand is lagging. The corporate sector has seen rising profits, stockpiled cash and cannot access low-interest debt. None of that matters if your customers aren't buying. Some of those customers are families receiving financial assistance in one form or another from the federal and state governments.

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, may have captured the view of many by describing the two-step debt ceiling compromise as a "sugar-coated satan sandwich." Cleaver was referring to spending cuts that affect low and middle-income Americans without raising taxes on wealthier citizens. But it could turn out to be prophecy on the macro-economic impact of the cuts.

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