I am very pleased to learn of the Democrats’ plan to hold a series of six debates from October of this year until March of next year. I am not saying this because I am a partisan. I am saying this because I think it’s good for the country. Debates matter. Not only are they an exchange of ideas, they’re also a way for Americans to better understand the democratic process. Let me explain. Debates are really the only mechanism in our political process where the candidates have to defend their views in the same space as their peers. As a result they are always on the defensive by design, which puts them in a position to articulate their views proactively.
It’s rare for a candidate to turn down a debate, and even more rare for a candidate not to use the debate opportunity to become a better candidate. What do I mean? Go back and look at the primary debates in 2008 between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. At the time, the Democrats held several primary debates, and throughout the process you saw then Senator Obama become a much better candidate. His confidence grew as the debates went on through the primary season. and the voters noticed that has answers appeared to be more crisp and succinct. He also grew in stature in the eyes of the voters and he appeared to “look presidential”.
Before the announcement of the Democratic debates, many political watchers were calling their election process a “coronation” because it was assumed that Hillary Clinton would coast to the election with no primary opposition. That’s not right. It’s not for democracy, it’s not right for Hillary Clinton, and it’s not right to the other legitimate Democratic candidates in the race. The announcement of the first debate on Oct. 13 is a step in the right direction. It’s no secret that Hillary Clinton right now is not the best candidate. She’s rusty, having not been on the election trail since 2008. She also has not benefited from a rigorous democratic process that helps her fine-tune her positions, and like then-Senator Obama, grow in stature with the audience.
In other words, with more candidates in the race, and with more debates on the roster, all of the candidates running for the Democratic nomination benefit. The most important people who benefit are the American people. Throughout the debate process, they become more informed on the issues they care about. They also get to “test-drive” the candidates with respect to their comfort level about who they think can be president of the United States. Studies show that when voters are asked why they went to a candidate’s website, the most common answer is because they heard or read something about the candidates position during a debate and wanted to learn more. Voters often cite the candidate’s debate performance as a factor in why they voted for a particular candidate.
Again, debates matter. They matter on both sides of the aisle and they matter throughout the entire election process. So, when you see a debated scheduled, make sure you tune in.
Follow Robert Traynham on Twitter @roberttraynham.
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