In the best of
times our political culture does not leave room for intelligent, balanced
debate. As we ramp up for another
primary season preceding the presidential election, this is not the best of
times. For the next 18 months, candidate communications, particularly in the
wide open republican primary, will be all about the sound bite, the sarcastic
tweet and the canned stump speech. The
message from each candidate will be repeated over and over in a superficial,
cardboard manner. An informed electorate
must look behind and beyond the primary candidates’ comments, to determine what
is really in play.
For example,
when the candidates say: “I vaccinate my children, but others should have a
choice”, the answer was carefully thought out and has little to do with public
health. Democratic candidates in 2008
made this statement because liberal, wealthy holistic minded donors from
Silicon Valley, Palm Springs and university towns do not vaccinate their
children. More recently, republican
candidates have done the same because conservative libertarians do not
vaccinate their children. In other
words, campaign contributions and garnering votes trump public safety and
common sense when you are running for president.
Foreign policy
positions are often complicated and not easy to define with a sound bite. This does not stop republican candidates from
making simplistic authoritative statements like: “We must arm Ukraine to fight
Russian aggression.” or “We need boots on the ground to fight Isis”; and “More
sanctions against Iran will result in a nuclear treaty.” Each of these issues has layers of complexity. Diplomats and specialists, with vast
knowledge of the culture, language and history of each region are often unable
to agree on a specific policy.
To highlight
one example, among political experts in Western Countries, particularly in
Europe, there are many who believe arming Ukraine to fight the Russian proxies would
result in a disaster. This view holds that
Ukrainian troops would become “cannon fodder” for superior pro Russian separatists
and that prolonged hostilities aid Putin in consolidating power within
Russia. For a candidate to thoroughly
grasp a foreign policy issue like the Ukraine takes time. Why bother, when a
candidate is seeking votes, not a diplomatic consensus? Moreover, the candidate
might find that the research does not comport with the views of the political
base needed to win the primary. Better
to leave well enough alone, stick with sound bites and let the Obama
administration do the heavy lifting.
When New Jersey
Governor, Chris Christie, recently ventured across the pond to London, he
sharply refused to answer questions on foreign policy. He knew that he was in over his head with the
British Press and that superficial answers would not cut it. While he was ridiculed throughout Europe for
his non answers, my guess is that his political base could not care less, as
long as his attacks against the President remain strong. It makes more sense to tell supporters what
they want to hear and leave meaningful foreign policy discussions for the final
Presidential debates in 2016.
The situation
is similar when primary candidates address domestic issues. Well articulated positions on tax reform,
immigration, education, funding infrastructure and the like are nonexistent
during this time of primary shape shifting. It is more expedient to attack the guys in
power for their misguided and/or lack of accomplishments, than to offer a
solution that may turn off a prospective voter.
The key for
candidates in primary politics is to not offend potential supporters. This tricky process involves courting votes
to the extreme right if you are a republican or extreme left a democrat. Not committing to specific policies leaves
enough wiggle room to swing back to the center if you are fortunate enough to
win the party nomination. Those of us who want to understand the issues facing
our country and possible solutions must not count on the primary
candidates. Wait until after the
confetti at the party conventions is swept up in late summer, 2016.
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