EDITIORIAL: Top 10 GOP candidates to have first scrimmage

The presidential election season, more or less, gets into “official” full swing mode Thursday night with the debate that includes roughly three-fifths of the Republican field of candidates.

Until now, many potential voters have been able to ignore — with the exceptions of Donald Trump demonstrating how he got to be called “The Donald” or the newest revelation about Hillary Clinton’s questionable email practices — the candidates running for the White House. At times, it seems, it’s easier to count the number of Republicans who haven’t declared their intentions to run for the presidency, while Democrats seem to not have many willing to take on Clinton, though there is more chatter about a “draft Joe Biden” effort.

Presidential debates rarely live up to the term, and the one Thursday night likely won’t either. Fox News, which is hosting it, had the unenviable task of paring the number of participants to a manageable number, though the idea that 10 is manageable is, if you’ll forgive the pun, debatable. Relying on a group of recent polls, however, the news organization came up with a “top 10” in terms of early support.

As announced, the prime-time debate will include Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who had the three highest ratings on the combined polls. They’ll be joined by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The final two slots go to two sitting governors — Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio.

Left out in the cold — or at least for now to the late afternoon pre-debate forum — were former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former business executive Carly Fiorina, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.

The danger is that the various campaigns, especially those at the 5 p.m. “matinee” forum, know there is a real need to gain some traction, and this is a good spot to try to get it, especially if campaign funds are tight. While a field of 17 candidates is encouraging democracy-wise, it is simply too many candidates for potential voters to wade through in terms of determining what each has done and what each stands for. That easily can lead to candidates with bleaker outlooks going for broke by political shouting — taking stands primarily aimed at getting attention and employing a scorched earth policy against their opponents.

We hope that won’t be the case, but candidates who can’t give you a compelling reason to vote for them will usually compensate by giving you scary (if often dubious) reasons to not vote for an opponent.

What we expect out of this first debate is this: There won’t be any real debating. Each candidate will try to keep on message, take shots at opponents’ weaknesses, try to give an impression of being electable, and try to separate from the pack, especially with donors. It’s doubtful that anyone will come out a big winner, but it is possible that one or tents could fold shortly afterwards for the perceived losers.

Meanwhile, sit back and get ready. This is just the first scrimmage. The long political season is just getting started.