Respect for the office of president and the bulwarks of democracy? Forget about it. The barriers are completely down, yielding more confusion for citizens already fatigued by press bias and the endless trivialization of the presidential election. Questionable takes on the highest office in the land are flourishing, far beyond the relative innocence of, say, animated candidates dancing “Gangnam Style.” Indeed, a recent poll of adult porn industry workers favors President Obama over Mitt Romney, 68 percent to 13 percent. But wait, there’s more.

From AshleyMadison.com, a controversial online dating service for married people intent on infidelity, comes a survey of 23,000 “married women” revealing that “73 percent of women under 35 years old said they would rather have an affair with Obama than Romney.” For women older than 35, half prefer Mr. Romney and half Mr. Obama. This is just a sampling; the survey even breaks down results for swing states.

“What is clearly evident is that physical attraction may be a bigger determining factor than economics, foreign policy or even women’s rights when it comes to female voting preferences for president,” reasons Noel Biderman, founder of the 8-year-old site, which claims to have 16 million members.

Playboy magazine, meanwhile, predicts a “war on your sex life” in an essay by historian Nancy L. Cohen, who foretells “a losing battle for your sexual rights in a Romney White House,” studded with choice expletives.

“Nothing is sacred. Nothing,” says one Republican voter in Virginia. “It just plain depresses me.”

GENERAL QUARTERS

“We cannot afford another four years of feckless foreign policy. We need level-headed leadership which will protect our interests and defend our values with clarity and without apology,” says retired Gen. Tommy Franks, U.S. Army, and former commander of U.S. Central Command, on behalf of the newly mustered Romney For President Military Advisory Council. Several hundred retired generals and admirals from all branches of the armed services have signed on to offer their support.

“As I listen to Mitt Romney, I am convinced that he ‘gets it,’” notes retired Gen. James Conway, USMC, past commandant of the Marine Corps.

THIRD PARTY GOES FORTH

So far, 132.8 million Americans have watched President Obama and Mitt Romney duke it out, for better or worse, on live TV. At the close of their third debate Monday night, the audience will likely reach 200 million. The presidential bouts drive discourse and disagreement among the political parties and the news media; they are instantly transformed into historic events of record. Yeah, big deal. So say the organizers of Free & Equal, a nonprofit group championing third party candidates, and one that dismisses official debates as little more than scripted talking points.

They’ve readied an alternative. The group has persuaded former CNN host Larry King to moderate a freewheeling encounter between four independent presidential hopefuls, scheduled in Chicago for Tuesday night as a feisty finale to debate season. On the podium: Libertarian Gary Johnson, Green Party hopeful Jill Stein, the Constitution Party’s Virgil Goode and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party.

“The previous debates between Obama and Romney have failed to address the issues that really concern everyday Americans,” says Christina Tobin, founder of the group. “From foreign policy, to the economy, to taboo subjects like our diminishing civil liberties and the drug war, Americans deserve a real debate, real solutions, and real electoral options.”

Motley political correspondents on hand: Thom Hartmann of Russia TV, Ben Swann of local Fox affiliate WXIX, and talk radio host Josh Tolley. Among the equally motley 59 event sponsors: The American Conservative, the Voice of Russia and the New Progressive Alliance; the debate will be broadcast though Ora TV, a free digital channel, and the cable network RT.

“Uniting honest media, honest organizations, and honest public figures across the political spectrum for this historic event is the beginning of a movement to shift the power of government back to the people,” observes Ms. Tobin.

THE SIMPLE PLAN

“You know, the cake is baked. All the policy is done, the debates are nearly over now, scheduling is just about finished, we know all the battleground states we’re going to be visiting over the next three weeks. The arguments have all been developed and deployed, so it really is a matter now of talking to as many people as possible in the states that matter until Nov. 6.”

(Romney campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom, to RealClearPolitics political reporter Scott Conroy.)

BREITBART DEBUTS

Opening Friday, it’s “Hating Breitbart,” a feature-length documentary based on the life of provocateur and media maven Andrew Breitbart, who died unexpectedly in March at age 43.

“Andrew had in many ways already achieved iconic status as a fearless activist and champion of conservative values. Passionately loved by many and hated vehemently by others, Andrew was a true enigma — a champion of the people and a larger-than-life personality who declared war on the mainstream media and on the institutional left,” declares writer-director Andrew Marcus.

The film debuts exclusively in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Plano, Texas, and Arlington, Va. It is being distributed by Rocky Mountain Pictures, the same company behind “2016: Obama’s America,” the independent film that debuted small, then went on to earn $33 million.

POLL DU JOUR

• 63 percent of Americans say the U.S. should be less involved in political change in the Middle East; 53 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats agree.

• 56 percent of Americans overall are following news about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya; 67 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of Democrats agree.

• 38 percent overall disapprove of the Obama administration’s handling of the attack; 73 percent of Republicans and 14 percent of Democrats agree.

• 35 percent overall approve how the situation was handled; 12 percent of Republicans and 60 percent of Democrats agree.

• 26 percent overall say they have heard “a lot” about incorrect statements made by the White House about the attack; 41 percent of Republicans and 17 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Pew Research Center survey of 1,006 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 12 to 14.

• Tip line always open at jharper@washingtontimes.com.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.