An Independent's view from above

Campaigns easy to read with a view from above. JAY CRONLEY World Staff Columnist. People with strong party feelings, those who will vote in a particular way no matter who runs, probably spend the political season watching those strongly biased in their favor, while saying, "Yeah! Speaking for most independents, we have been sitting around wondering, "Huh? Since I made my independent position known, a number of people have asked how I have observed the campaigns so far, perhaps unsure if they actually believe what they've been seeing themselves. So here's an update on my vote. Not all jobs created equal: The economy will continue to be the deciding issue of the 2012 presidential race, jobs, in particular. Even a decent idea such as a flat tax doesn't stray far from the jobs debate, as nearly 100,000 people work for the Internal Revenue Service. Making taxes simple could further stun the economy by putting many interpreters of revenue codes out of work. One thing missing in any jobs discussion or argument is a definition of the type of work being lost or gained. Good and bad jobs are often defined by wages. If a $75,000 job is lost, and a $25,000 job is gained, that's not a break-even situation. That's the equivalent of a minus-two jobs reading. President Obama's strategy seems relatively simple at the moment. Win by default. Is this all there is? : The challenger side of the election has featured a number of debates highlighted by exchanges like the following. You're an idiot. You're a bigger idiot. I am not. Yes you are. Ask anybody at the debate. He's right. You're an idiot. Well so are you. Are the British politicians the only ones who can carry a thought to clever conversation, who can speak naturally in public? Must ours appear so humorless? Mean? Desperate? The challenger debate forum has turned the candidates into attack robots and makes a viewer wonder how some of the hopefuls got to be what they are, which is rich and highly employed. The strategy here is a little more complicated than that employed by the other side. Don't mess up too much. Let somebody else lose it. This question comes to mind: Where are the great ones?.