Done with Debates
I used to get very exciting about candidate debates, right down to producing my first congressional forum broadcast when I was in my early 20s. And over the past decade, I was involved in televised congressional debates in each cycle.
But I think they’ve served their purpose and now are only a shadow of what they used to be.
I was reminded of all that earlier this week when Gov. Kim Reynolds confirmed that she would appear at a debate with Democrat challenger Deirdre DeJear on public TV next month. As usual, the challenger who is far behind wants a whole host of debates, and the incumbent would prefer a more limited number. Looks like there may only be one in the race for governor…and that’s more than enough.
These are no longer ways for candidates to separate themselves from each other with policy points—if they ever really were. Now it’s scripted sound bites to fit the short time allowed for an answer. Even the most nuanced and complicated issue still only gets 90 seconds for a response.
Think about any political candidate debates you recall from the past—if you can recall any at all. Chances are you only remember them for something odd: the power going out during the first Ford-Carter debate, Ford stumbling about Poland, Lloyd Bentsen schooling Dan Quayle about John Kennedy, Reagan dropping his “there you go again” line against Carter, Reagan saying he would not hold Mondale’s youth and inexperience against him.
In other words, mistakes or snappy lines…not policy, not differentiating one plan from another. In the effort to become made-for-TV events, they’ve lost their purpose, with the surrounding show more important than the content.
So whether the candidates for governor debate or not really doesn’t matter to me. Because what they say won’t matter to you.
