Isn't there something patently silly about paying attention to a debate wherein one candidate made sure the other got on the ballot so he would have a straw man to beat up on?

UPDATE: Since the Lentz campaign collected the signatures to get Jim Schneller on the ballot, Pat Meehan's people have taken to calling Schneller Lentz' "running-mate."

Pretty clever that. And it makes this debate all the funnier. Has a candidate ever debated his own running-mate before? Maybe that explains the big turnout of 25 people at Delaware County Community College.

Even worse for Lentz, from what I read of it, Schneller won.

UPDATE: My frend Bill Bender (who works for another newspaper) called last night's debate a lesson in "Farcical Politics." His amusing story can be read here.

He has the race a lot closer than I do based on a couple of recent polls. I'm skeptical. My prediction is that Meehan will win by 6 to 8 points, thanks to his name recognition, the county GOP get-out-the-vote operation and voter disgust with Democratic spending and policies in Washington.