The DeSantis–Newsom Debate Is Pointless

There’s an old throwaway Monty Python joke that I have long considered to have been impressively ahead of its time. In it, a faux-serious John Cleese welcomes viewers to a fictionalized version of the BBC’s television show The Epilogue, before announcing that, “Tonight, instead of discussing the existence or non-existence of God,” his guests “have decided to fight for it.” “The existence, or non-existence,” Cleese explains,” will ‘be determined by two falls, two submissions, or a knockout.” “All right boys,” he exclaims, soberly: “Let’s get to it.”

I thought about this sketch again this morning, when I was reminded that, tonight on Fox News, Governor Ron DeSantis and Governor Gavin Newsom will debate each other on the question of whether Florida is a better model for the nation than California. For those who enjoy televised bloodsports — and, especially, for those who regard politics as little more than light entertainment — the appeal of this bout will be obvious. For the rest of us, however, it must seem a touch odd. We know what cable-news debates look like these days, and we know that the chance of this one being superior to the rest is near zero. What, I must ask, is the point?

About the Author

Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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There’s an old throwaway Monty Python joke that I have long considered to have been impressively ahead of its time. In it, a faux-serious John Cleese welcomes viewers to a fictionalized version of the BBC’s television show The Epilogue, before announcing that, “Tonight, instead of discussing the existence or non-existence of God,” his guests “have decided to fight for it.” “The existence, or non-existence,” Cleese explains,” will ‘be determined by two falls, two submissions, or a knockout.” “All right boys,” he exclaims, soberly: “Let’s get to it.”

I thought about this sketch again this morning, when I was reminded that, tonight on Fox News, Governor Ron DeSantis and Governor Gavin Newsom will debate each other on the question of whether Florida is a better model for the nation than California. For those who enjoy televised bloodsports — and, especially, for those who regard politics as little more than light entertainment — the appeal of this bout will be obvious. For the rest of us, however, it must seem a touch odd. We know what cable-news debates look like these days, and we know that the chance of this one being superior to the rest is near zero. What, I must ask, is the point?