Observing the race among the Republican presidential candidates, which peaked at the Iowa Caucuses on Tuesday, it is hard to escape the fact that so far there has been way too much showbiz and not enough substance.

TV stations which host the debates between the candidates treat them like reality TV. Jon Huntsman, the candidate who I believe is the most serious and whose policies make the most sense, clearly has not mastered the showbiz arts. This is probably why in the November Michigan debate, the former US ambassador to China was given only 30 seconds by CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo to talk about China - his sound bite was simply not entertaining and crazy enough.

That is also probably why when Huntsman and Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, chose to sit down in New Hampshire in December for a more in-depth discussion, the media did not pay as much attention as they should, because the words were not outrageous enough.

In regard to performing skills, Mitt Romney, who came out narrowly on top in Iowa this week, has the edge. The former Massachusetts governor is willing to say whatever pleases the Republican voters. He has changed his views from supporting abortion to opposing it, and from acknowledging a human factor to climate change to pretending not to know the cause.

In fact, if you listen to speeches by the candidates, often you don't know what they are proposing as solutions to the key problems facing the United States, such as creating jobs and reducing deficits. Instead much of their time is devoted to attacking their rivals.

Attacking opponents has become the major weapon in such presidential campaigns. About $3.7 million was spent on negative ads in Iowa through Dec 30, according to data from Kantar Media, a New York-based company.

While it is okay and often necessary to point out the faults of other candidates, the problem with such negative ads is they are often not based on facts. There is plenty of fear mongering and rumors are repeated ad nauseam to mislead voters.

In one ad from Texas Governor Rick Perry aired on national cable TV, Perry looks directly into the camera and says: "Obama's socialist politics are bankrupting America. We must stop him now."

To be fair, Obama, who has raised more funds than any of the Republican candidates so far, is not adverse to using such negative ads himself, and such attacks will no doubt escalate when a GOP nominee is selected in the coming months.

But since electing the president is important not only for Americans, but also for rest of the world, surely the candidates should dignify the importance of the job opportunity with a little more seriousness and substance.

Hopefully, as the Republican primary moves to New Hampshire next week we will begin to see less hammy theatricals and more politics at a time when the US is suffering from a dearth of ideas and actions, not a deficit of entertainment.

The author, based in New York, is deputy editor of China Daily US edition. Email: [email protected]

(China Daily 01/06/2012 page8)