We are not far from the real beginning of the presidential campaign. Yes, we have had a lot of Republicans running for the office and more indicating that they will join the fray. Already, I hear people saying they are tired of the political ads and political discussions. The old saying “you ain’t seen nothing yet” is certainly apropos now.
But there will certainly not be a way to really look at these candidates. While there is a lot of politicking going on, there will not be debates until the two parties choose their candidates. Everyone needs to quit talking about the upcoming “debates.” Any high school freshman on the debate team will tell you that the advertised “debates” are really question and answer periods.
Why no true debates? First, the Republican National Committee has limited the number of the question and answer programs. They learned a lesson from the last presidential race by having too many programs and participants.
Secondly, they have also decided which correspondent will ask the questions. They don’t want some uppity journalist asking uncensored questions. They want the participants to be able to view the questions before the program.
Thirdly, they have informed the participants that they are to appear only on those programs that the RNC has approved. At this point, only Fox News Channel and CNN have agreed to these “debates.”
The Republicans have or will have upwards to 20 possible candidates for the primary election. Obviously, all 20 cannot fit on a stage. Fox has come up with a possible solution by limiting the number to 10. They will select the 10 lucky participants based on the highest poll rating in five different polls. The network gets to pick the polls.
I assume the network believes we will get a fair showing of the most likely winners in primaries. But history shows us that early polls do not accurately predict the actual candidate.
How can we judge the remaining potential candidates for the presidency? Personally, my favorite Republican is now at the 1% polling level and I have told friends that he is the next president of the United States. If Fox chooses to run a successive night with the remainder of the contestants, what is the viewing audience going to be? Are the American people ready to sit down two nights in a row listening to political questions and answers? I doubted it seriously and thus, those contestants for the second night will be at a disadvantage.
CNN has not formally announced how they are going to run the programs, but they are already restricted by the Republican National Committee.
So, we won’t get an honest appraisal of the candidates.
I don’t know that I have a better answer or solution. Probably the best way to choose a primary candidate will require work on the part of the electorate. We, the people, are going to have to read, do some research, ask some questions, and talk to some supporters of a candidate. We have become lazy in our elections, expecting others to do the work Only when we do our own analysis will we be able to make an intelligent decision when we enter the voting booth.
Jack Linden is a retired college professor living in Seguin.
