With notepad in hand, I saddled up to watch the Las Vegas Democratic debate on Wednesday night. I watched and listened intently for the first hour, then my TV went dark.

No, it wasn’t a cable company issue. It was me and my remote agreeing I had seen enough — enough, that is, to see that the Democrats have no chance to win the presidency in 2020.

Along with my notepad, I had printed out several recent poll results that measured the top issues on voters’ minds for this election. I highly recommend the Democratic candidates, at some point, do the same, because what I saw in the debate and what voters are concerned about were certainly not walking hand in hand.

Voters’ top issues are health care, economy, taxes, gun policy, immigration, social security, education, jobs, climate change, budget deficits, and abortion, pretty much the top issues for any recent national elections. With a couple of exceptions (heath care and climate), the first half of the debate was void of anything substantially important to the people.

Here’s how it went: Is Sanders better than Bloomberg? Not on the list. Can Sanders beat Trump? Not on the list. Why does Bloomberg not treat women very well? Not on the list. What is the path for Democrats to win? Not on the list.

Biden made a case he can win. Bloomberg made a case he can win. Mayor Pete said he is afraid it will come down to Bloomberg and Sanders. All that, not on the list. Warren says Bloomberg is making the race harder. Question to Sanders was next, asking if he was polarizing, followed by a conversation that people are too mean on Twitter and we should be nicer on social media.

All that, not on the list.

Mayor Pete said leadership is about motivating folks. Amy Klobuchar said they should nominate a woman. And, while all those “not on the list” discussions (arguments) were going on, Elizabeth Warren was waving her arm in the air constantly, like she was a kindergartner needing a restroom pass.

Then, does Sanders have trouble with the unions and Warren interrupting (again and again), saying unions don’t like Sanders’ Medicare for all plan. Pete said Americans like his plan. Klobuchar said, after a Warren attack, a public option plan was her choice. That was as close to a discussion on heath care as it got. It was a major disappointment, considering they had a national audience watching to hear a substantive debate on health care, but were treated to petty finger-pointing.

Not on my list, for sure.

It went on. Bloomberg’s problem with police policies. Warren calling for a better apology on his part. Then a major discussion on releasing medical records and Bloomberg’s tax returns. And then back into the gutter on Bloomberg’s sexual harassment issues. All not on the list, nor was Bloomberg’s support of President Bush.

The first hour came to a close with a question on why Klobuchar forgot the name of Mexico’s president. That is when I reached for the remote, but decided I would give it a bit more time, which was a mistake on my part.

Climate change was next. Biden: We need better batteries and more electric car charging ports, better gas mileage, and more trains. Bloomberg wants to stop coal, and Warren says we should stop mining on public lands. Sanders wants to stop fracking. Given a mere 75 seconds to answer each question is a ludicrous way to conduct a national debate.

Click. Dark. Sleep. My debate was over.

I came away with two conclusions: One, the debate was a joke, void of any vision, wisdom, and leadership that will motivate the Democratic electorate to turn out in great numbers. Two, if that debate was in any way a reflection on how the fall campaign will be, they have already lost.

If I was a Democrat, I would be disappointed in that national display. If I was a Republican, I would be giddy watching the circus unfold. But, as a proud independent, refusing to allow a partisan ring to be placed in my nose and dragged to an equally partisan feeding trough every four years, I remain in search of a national candidate that can inspire a nation searching for leadership, a candidate with character and vision of what American can be if we finally decide to work together to address the top issues of our time.

That’s my view from Northeast Michigan, a beautiful land with hard-working folks busy raising families, educating children, coping with high federal, state and local taxes, and, from my perspective a whole lot more concerned about political climate change than weather climate change, all in hopes for a better and brighter future for our country.

Greg Awtry is the former publisher of the Scottsbluff (Neb.) Star-Herald and Nebraska’s York News-Times. He is now retired and living in Hubbard Lake. Greg can be contacted at gregawtry@awtry.com.