The empty space on the Joplin Globe opinion page

For the past several years Joplin Globe editors have decided to include a large empty space on the editorial page on the newspaper’s biggest edition of the week- Geoff Caldwell’s column.

I understand the Globe feels an obligation to provide its readers with opinion columnists from all sides of the political spectrum. Usually these columnists offer thought-provoking 700-800 word columns with their slants on the political issues of the day.

Geoff Caldwell provides half of that. His columns are provoking; however, he appears to have edited out anything that would smack of thought.

In each Saturday’s Globe and for many years prior in the Sunday edition, Caldwell carefully parrots a far-right version of reality. Occasionally, he stumbles across a valid point, then quickly abandons it, in case readers might get the wrong idea.

In today’s column, Caldwell offers his thoughts on the presidential election.

We are not even a third of the way through March and now face the longest presidential general election cycle in modern history — a cycle created by a system that out of a population of 125 million plus aged 35-64 adults delivers to us a choice between

A: an angry man clearly in the early stages of dementia that will be two years past 80 by the time he starts his second term, or

B: a man who will be just two years shy of 80 when he starts his and still refuses to use a vocabulary even a baby step out of the gutter.

And while both like to compare themselves to the greats of our past, neither has the courage to follow in the steps of our greatest: George Washington — the one man in all of our history who had an entire nation begging him to stay yet instead chose to give up rather than cling to power.

What evidence does Caldwell have to show Joe Biden is “clearly in the early stages of dementia. If it’s the fact that he stumbles over his words occasionally, then all of us are “clearly in the early stages of dementia.”

Caldwell has always attempted to show he is also critical of Donald Trump by mentioning his occasional coarse language or lack of presidential decorum. I give him credit for that. But to call Joe Biden “angry” and not even consider the same adjective might apply to Trump, seems shortsighted.

The George Washington comparisons are also lacking.

Washington had a full eight years and accomplished what he wanted to accomplish. His decision to step down after his second term has been praised and rightly so.

Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump has completed a second term and both men have more they want to accomplish. Four years from now, if the winner decides to defy the Constitution and try to hold on to power, then Caldwell’s reasoning might apply.

While I fully expect the Globe to continue to publish Geoff Caldwell’s column for years to come (provided the Globe is still around), a much wiser use of space would be a columnist who could address local and area issues in a thought- provoking way, or at the least someone can write about politics in an intellectually honest way.