Any idea why?

There’s been a lot of talk about The Democratic Debate in South Carolina [transcript] and the advantage John Edwards may have as a result of the spat between Clinton and Obama. Are you kidding? The opposite is true.

The debates are covered by and large by the media. The media’s job is to attract viewers. Viewers are human and human’s are engaged by conflict. There has never been a reporter that hasn’t heard “Where’s the conflict” as part of a story review.

And just as any two people in a relationship learn more about each other and grow closer to one another emotionally as a result of [hopefully healthy] conflict, so too the American people and their presidential candidates.

The Republican Debate in Boca Raton, on the other hand, was a snoozer [Rick Klein’s live blog]. No conflict. Just a bunch of nice guys who’d really like your vote, thank you very much and God Bless America.

If the Republicans are to have any chance of winning (or being noticed, for that matter), they’ll find a way to introduce pleasant, productive and healthy conflict into the debate.

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