Primary debates need other types of questions

To date we have had three Republican primary presidential debates and one Democratic primary presidential debate.  More are to come with the next Republican debate scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10 hosted by both FOX Business Network and the Wall Street Journal and the next Democratic debate scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14 hosted by CBS.

What have we actually learned so far?  (1) That Donald Trump’s presence electrified the Republican debates and resulted in an all-time record number of primary debate viewers for FOX, CNN and CNBC and (2) that while the Democratic debate on CNN did not have the same number of viewers as did the Republican debates on FOX and CNN, it did have a record audience for their party.  That was especially impressive since three of the five Democratic candidates had little or no name recognition.  Collectively, the large audiences for all of these debates seem to indicate significant interest throughout the country at an especially early stage.

{mosads}But, what have we actually learned from the candidates during these debates that would inform us about them personally?  Not much.

The candidates have answered questions about the national debt, Iran, Iraq, the Keystone Pipeline, unemployment, Obamacare, climate change, immigration and a few other issues.  In doing so they have mostly stuck like glue to their talking points.

Why is that?  The job of the moderators – and other questioners – is to try to get the candidates beyond their talking points. Collectively the moderators and questioners haven’t done that. They have been content to either hear the candidates previously stated policy positions, or as far as the Republican debates are concerned, to try to engage one candidate against another in a personal confrontation or to ask the candidates various types of uninformative “gotcha” questions.  That is the reason we have learned almost nothing about the candidates personally via the debates thus far.  

What’s the solution?  As Ronald Reagan famously replied when asked by the White House press corps if there was any way that they could get better answers to their questions at his press conferences, “Well yes,” he said, “ask better questions.”

So, in an effort to learn more about the candidates my suggestion is for the moderators to ask some “non-policy” questions of the candidates at various points throughout each of the future Republican and Democratic debates.

If, magically, I was invited to question the candidates in either the next Republican or Democratic primary debate, here are some “non-policy” questions that I would ask in order to get the candidates beyond their campaign rhetoric, press releases and policy statements. 

1.  Who is the most important living American today?

(You could say, for example, “that there is not just one – there are thousands and these are the men and women serving in our armed forces all over the world in order to protect the freedom for all Americans”).  There are, of course, other answers.

2.  Name three of the most memorable moments in the history of the United States.

3.  Are there any poems or songs that have moved you to tears?  If so – what are they?

4.  What are the three most important sporting events in the history of the United States?  

This is neither a silly nor frivolous question.  (You could mention, for example, the first major league baseball game that Jackie Robinson played in for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 that helped to break the color barrier forever in Major League Baseball…or the first New York Yankee game played in Yankee Stadium after 9/11…or, as my friend Ron suggests, Jesse Owens spectacular four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin with Adolf Hitler in attendance.  Owens was the most successful athlete at those Olympic games and he has been credited with single handily crushing Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy.  Or, you might propose the United States victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympic hockey semi-finals). There are many other answers to this question that could provide insight into the candidates.

5.  If you could choose the next president of the United States – other than yourself – who would that be and why?

6.  On you first day as president what pictures would you hang in the Oval office and why?

7.  What author and book have influenced you the most in your political life?

8.  Other than former presidents – who is a political figure in U. S. history you would be most likely to model yourself after if you are elected president?

9.  What are the first three pieces of legislation that you as President would ask Congress to pass?  

(Republicans would be asked to exclude their universal positions of repealing Obamacare and balancing the budget and to name three legislative proposals beyond those two topics).

The state of the primary race today – especially in the Republican party – is not what it will be on Feb. 1.  Clearly, the remaining primary debates will play a role in determining how this will develop.  And “non-policy” questions like those suggested above could help to inform the voters enough about the candidates personally so that they will be able to make comfortable ballot decisions on caucus or primary day in their state.

Goodwin has worked for four United States presidents and has been involved in seven presidential campaigns.  He has participated in both primary and general election presidential debates.  He lives in the Washington D.C. area.