I apologize in advance for this rant. OK, here we go…

A few minutes ago, I sat down in my chair, picked up my laptop and opened the web browser. It opened to my home page, where I saw a few news headlines, including “Romney Takes It To Gingrich in GOP Debate,” and “Romney Attacks Gingrich In GOP Debate.” Attacking seems much stronger than just “taking it to” someone, so I guess good for Romney.

And as I saw those headlines, several thoughts came to mind…

What – another debate?

What could they possible still have left to cover in a debate, after the last 2000 debates they’ve had?

Does anyone still care about the debates? (probably not, but I guess you never know);

Do I still care about the debates? (what do you mean, “still”);

And I noticed another headline, inviting me to watch a live video feed of the debate, and I thought, “I’d rather stick a pencil in my head and then fall down four flights of stairs. Onto ice. Barefoot. While listening to country music all the way down.”

So here’s a note to the Republican candidates, coming from a guy (me) who’s sort of on your side, but is officially registered as an independent.  You guys are making it really hard for me, and others like me. And there are others like me – guys who lean toward the right on some issues, toward the left on others, and think both major parties are full of morons who are completely out of touch with what actual people want or need. (I hope that was clear enough). You’re not giving me any reason to think differently.

There isn’t possibly anything else to say in a debate, that you haven’t already said. Many, many times.  At this point, the first guy who’s willing to shut up for a while would probably get my attention. The first guy to say, “No, I’m not going to participate in anymore debates. You’ve all heard what I’ve got, and I’ve heard what you’ve all got. Everyone’s heard what we’ve all got. So you guys can keep getting together and talking about stuff no one’s listening to if you want to, but I’m taking that night off.”

And I’d think, “Oh my gosh – what a cool guy. I want to listen to that guy say more.” That would get my attention. Which by the way, I haven’t given to any of the other guys yet.

Oh, a quick side note to Santorum (is he still in?)… Anytime the Evangelical Leadership (not sure who all that is) decides to give a candidate their “endorsement,” that candidate loses. Sorry to have to be the one to tell you. It’s just that those guys, who have some good beliefs, are under the delusion that they’re more relevant than they actually are. I would have advised not going to that meeting, but I guess it’s done now. Anyway, it was fun seeing you around for a while.

Sorry for my angry tone, readers who are used to more lighthearted blog stuff. I guess I just want a few things:

For the incessant, inane, debates to stop;

For the candidates to all take a vow of silence for a week or two (maybe if you stop talking for a while, some people may actually want to hear from you again. There’s a lot to be said for giving someone a chance to miss you).

Assuming neither of the above will happen anytime soon, I guess I’ll continue to try to ignore you until you give me a compelling reason to pay attention.