The first political debate I ever saw was the granddaddy of them all—Nixon-Kennedy. I was so gung-ho for JFK at the time, that Nixon’s infamous 5’oclock shadow and sweaty upper lip passed unnoticed before my starry eyes. Eager young citizen that I was, the debate question over what to do about Quemoy and Matsu had me running off to the library the next day to search for my own answers. Thus, the birth of a political junkie.
I have seen many but not all the debates since, though I’m familiar with the defining moments of most: “There you go again”…“I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy”…”You’re likeable enough, Hillary.” One wonders how many votes any of those iconic moments actually produced. It’s for sure that any journalist who gets called to participate in a national political debate wants to be the one who asks the game-changing question…or at least the question that is perceived as the game-changer. The reputed benchmark in this regard is Bernard Shaw’s question to Michael Dukakis about how Dukakis, an opponent to the death penalty, would react if his wife had been raped and murdered. Hypothetical questions are nasty in and of themselves, but this one was so grim, so dark, and so unseemly personal it’s a wonder any professional journalist found it fit for asking. But the Dukakis campaign had many bad moments, so it’s hard to believe his “dispassionate” response to the question was what did him in. It certainly couldn’t have done him as much harm as the Bush campaign questioning his patriotism and accusing him of setting convicted felon Willie Horton free to rape and murder.
Anyway, as with baseball games--another passion of mine from my youth--I watch fewer debates in real time now. My appetite for predictability and spin is not what it used to be, so I DVR the debates and watch with a firm finger on the fast forward button. But as I occasionally still fantasize about being general manager of the Red Sox, I also fantasize about getting to sit on the panel and ask questions of the candidates. I believe tonight’s debate between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton might be their last, so it will be the last time I’ll get to watch and see if any of the questions I would have asked them get asked. My questions would follow a few key guidelines: don’t cue things up so candidates can just quote their stump speeches; don’t ask questions you already know the answer to; don’t ask questions driven by the latest “buzz” (in other words don’t ask Hillary about de Blasio’s CP joke and don’t ask Bernie about the speaker at his New York event calling Hillary a corporate whore); don’t ask “gotcha” questions unless they’re designed to get the candidate on record specific to their campaign (in other words, no questions about the state of things in Quemoy and Matsu); and most importantly don’t ask questions designed to draw attention to yourself.
So, without further ado...Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton, if you are ready, the first question, determined by flip of a coin, goes to Senator Sanders:
Senator Sanders: On the campaign trail you have flatly declared No more wars. But in previous debates you have assured the American people that you would use military force if necessary by pointing to your vote to support US intervention in Bosnia. Which of these positions would influence your behavior when you enter the White House as President and presumably find the US already engaged in an undeclared war with ISIS?
Secretary Clinton: You have admirably apologized for a number of your past actions, notably your vote for the Iraq War, moving your email server to your home, and using the term "super predator." As noble as these apologies are, is there a point where they reach critical mass and a politician’s apologies rightfully call into question a politician’s judgment?
Senator Sanders: Assuming you get the Democratic nomination and find yourself in a difficult general election campaign where every dollar counts and a media campaign in a swing state such as Ohio or Florida can win the election for you, would you accept help from a Super Pac put together by millionaires and billionaires to win in November?
Secretary Clinton: Much was made of President Obama’s selection of you as Secretary of State as a modern day example of what historian Doris Kearns Goodwin called Lincoln’s Team of Rivals. Would you imagine such a team of rivals in your administration, and if so specifically what areas would you most want your own views challenged by such rivals?
Senator Sanders: If you are President and national security agents come to you with information on a pending domestic terrorist attack which you know they secured through illicit means, would you act to punish the agents responsible for the illegality or act on the information to prevent the attack or both?
Secretary Clinton: What three things would you specifically do as President to motivate American corporations to help rebuild the middle class?
Senator Sanders: If you are President and the Democratic leadership in Congress comes to you and says that it can help you pass free college tuition for all, single payer health insurance for all, or an amendment overturning Citizens United but not all three, which would you choose and why?
Secretary Clinton: On the campaign trail when asked about your lack of support from young voters, you’ve answered by saying that even if they’re not there for you, you’ll be there for them which is a nice, nurturing response but doesn’t take into account that young voters are as diverse as older voters, encompassing Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street, Trump supporters, militia men, the men’s right movement, Fight for 15, and many more disparate and unhappy groups. What do you make of such widespread youthful discontent and is there anything your administration could or would do to address it?
Updated here with takles on the actual debate, including a definitive answer for Hillary on those speech transcripts.