January 7, 2007
Televised Political Debates offer good opportunities for open comparison
By Stan Dyer
During a Presidential Election, it is easy to become overwhelmed and "turn off". There are so many candidates saying similar things in different ways, it becomes difficult to understand exactly where any of them stands and voters begin to turn their deaf ears to the whole process. Well, don't give up just yet. The process is just heating up and there is a lot more on the line than just a four-year stay at the White House. To understand the candidates, their parties and their platforms better, the Televised Debates offer a good starting point.
When I started my campaign to find the best candidate, I found over 330 officially register contenders for the White House at Project Vote Smart. I tried visiting websites and writing letters, but it got me nowhere very fast. The websites are not that good, and most candidates, (just like those already elected), will not respond to mail from the constituency, and, if they do, it is usually some type of form letter. My efforts did, however, help me understand how and why ours is considered a "two party" system. It is because there are only two parties in this country that are genuinely serious about winning elections. With that newfound knowledge in tow, I pointed my cursor toward the official websites of each of the two major parties looking for Party Platforms.
At the Republican website, (either rnc.org or gop.com), I found a "tab" for "issues", so I clicked on it. A menu appeared listing the issues: Education, Energy, Faith and Value, Health Care, Jobs and Economy, Legal Reform, Nominations, Safety and Security, Social Security and Tax Reform. I tried a couple of the issues, but I was not impressed. The information there was vague and non-committal. Still, it gave an idea of what to expect from candidates representing that party, and it was general enough to allow those candidates the freedom to express their individual interpretations of compliance.
At the Democratic website, (democrats.org), their platform comes under "agenda". It is interesting how they choose to list their issues: Honest Government, Real Security, Energy Independence, Economic Prosperity, Affordable Health Care, Retirement Security, Protecting Our Environment, Civil Rights and Justice, Election Reform, and Immigration Reform. In my opinion, the Democratic website does a much better job of outlining the issues in terms of what the party will do, why the issue is important to the people, and what the party has done toward their goal to this date. Nonetheless, party platforms only tell us about what the party represents and not about those who represent the party. It all comes together at the debates.
Since the election is not until November 2008, I am taking every opportunity to discover what I can about all the candidates, so, naturally, I am tuning into every debate I can. What I am enjoying about the debates is that they tie all the research information together. When I read about a party, an issue or a candidate, I have to interpret the information in light of politics, intent, and my own knowledge of the issues. Unfortunately, not all people, (even people as experienced and educated as we hope our elected officials are), communicate ideas well. It is like trying to see a three dimensional picture with only two dimensions. Adding the third dimension is almost like turning on the lights. It is more difficult to come up with a spontaneous answer, (now matter how well researched and anticipated), than it is to come up with politically neutral language for a website. Live debates not only offer the opportunity to see how candidates react on their own, they also give a better idea of how well each candidate represents the issues important to this election.
So, before you give up on the elections and insert your earplugs, take my advice, postpone the initial research and give the debates a try, even if only for five minutes. You do not have to watch the entire debate, but do not be surprised if you end up staying longer than you anticipated. Think about the issues that are important to you and listen to what the candidates have to say as they wrestle with their colleagues. Even if you think you already have a choice, give the others a chance to make their cases. If you find a particular candidate interesting, that is the time to go to the individual websites and do the research. When it comes to seeing two-dimensional concepts in three dimensions, you might discover that the Televised Presidential Debates offer great opportunities for open comparison.
(Author's Note: You can find a list of upcoming debates at:
www.cnn.com/ELECTIONS/2008/debates/index.html