I FEEL LIKE IT’S PART of my editor-ly duties to keep up, at least minimally, with what’s going on in politics. That’s why I watched the CNN/YouTube debates for both the Democratic and Republican candidates, aside from the fact that they’re pretty amusing.

The more recent of the two, the Republican debate, took place last week, sometime while I was in class, I’m sure. I watched it later, on YouTube, from the comfort of my room. No pants need apply.

One of the recurring themes from all of the Republican candidates — and actually, all of the Democratic candidates as well — was the necessity for a departure from the problems of the Bush administration.

But where is this change going to come? The questions users asked the candidates — and the answers the candidates gave — did little to set them apart from the neo-conservative values that have governed the operation the White House and the United States for the last seven years.

Some of the pressing issues addressed in the debate included the following questions:

If abortion were illegal, what would the punishment be?

On the death penalty, what would Jesus do?

Should openly homosexual people be allowed to serve in the military?

Do you believe every word of the Bible?

And my favorite: How many guns do you own?

Answers didn’t deviate much from party lines, aside from Mike Huckabee’s admittedly clever, “Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office.”

Even up and coming candidate Ron Paul, whose primary appeal seems to be to conservatives disenfranchised with the Ronald Reagan brand of Republicanism, reaffirmed his affiliation with the party, aligning himself with the rest of the candidates on stage, those running the country, and thus, the current state of the party.

“I am a Republican. I have won 10 times as a Republican.”

This from the candidate whose campaign hinges on exploiting the extent to which he is “different.”

The questions and ensuing “debate” — which seemed more fittingly a “consensus” — did little to substantiate these current candidates’ claims of differentiation.

And if the public truly does want “something new,” — and candidates of all parties claim that we do — then these candidates’ apparent fear to stray from neo-conservative values might bode poorly for Republicans, come 2008.

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