The Missourinet got an email from the state GOP yesterday telling us that state party chairman David Cole, former senator Jim Talent (who now is a top advisor to the Romney campaign) and state auditor Tom Schweich would be available to tell reporters this morning what a great job Mitt Romney did in last night’s debate.

Well, the email didn’t put it in exactly those words. But anybody who’s been a reporter for longer than 90 seconds knows what this event is all about.

We sent back a note that the Missourinet would let these three prattle on at any length they wished but we weren’t going to take part. 

There are some things about debates, particularly presidential debates, that the Missourinet does not do. We don’t talk to spin doctors after events like these who want to tell us what their person meant to say. And we don’t talk to people who want us to report that they think their person was the clear winner. 

Who won the debate is for the people who watched it to decide. We believe the words spoken by the candidates stand for themselves. Analysts who report on the accuracy of statements are fine. But Messrs Cole, Talent, are Schweich are nothing more than three voters or potential voters out of about 2 million Missourians who watched the debate and will go to the polls next month. Their opinions are no more valuable than the opinions of Fred the Furniture Salesman or Teresa the Teacher from South Gullet, Mo. 

We’ll let Teresa and Fred decide who won. They, and their daughter, Nancy the nurse’s aide, will cast the same number of votes in November as David, Jim, and Tom. 

The Democrats didn’t have anybody of the stature of David, Jim, and Tom  to talk about how President Obama won the debate. But if they did, we would have ignored them, too.