When politics becomes as much about the media outlets that cover the political process as it does the candidates they showcase, you know we have a problem. The commercialization of the 2016 presidential election is in full force.

The four Republican presidential debates that are being hosted by Fox News, CNN, CNBC and Fox Business Network appear to have blurred together in a promotional landscape, while the candidates are jousting for position and lead. That has never been the intent of the process, and the public is not the winner.

Last night's Republican debate bordered on dull as viewers sorted through the now repeated candidate rhetoric trying to glean real substance. There was some substance but not enough, and at this point in the game that isn't enough.

Before the debate there was as much hype about how the Fox moderators would handle the discourse as there was about how the candidates would perform. It became yet another form of political advertising, but this time with the cable channel making the money. A lot of it. Election season has historically been a big money making time for television and cable, and this year looks like it will be a blockbuster.

And perform seems to be an appropriate word. As the Twitterverse lit up with its own comments, I found it pretty much on target that Twitter’s analytics showed my most read tweet was "Trump got in a 60 Minutes promo while on Fox debate." It was simply an observational note of a seemingly unnoticed deft move by Trump. His reference to a CBS program was purposely made to stand out more than the supposed explanation of his relationship with Putin.

Our presidential campaigns are the most serious elections we hold in this country, yet that seems to be getting lost in the mix. The media's job is to inform and educate. If the cable networks take on the enormous responsibility of hosting presidential debates, let's cut the promo machines and get down to the serious business of trying to elect a president.