Jim Moore: Better Ways to Understand Political Candidates
I am a teacher. As I talk with my students, I tell them that the main thing I look for in candidates is whether they can learn.
Jim Moore is a longtime observer of Oregon and West Coast politics. He is also a political analyst for various media outlets, and professor at Pacific University.
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The Best Leaders Learn
"David Evans, Dr. Bertha Madras, Moderator Sarah Trumble of Third Way, Brookings scholar John Hudak and Rep. (D-Oregon) Earl Blumenauer" by BrookingsInst is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
It is the heart of campaign season. It’s all a bit different this time. The usual patterns of knocking on doors, sending out copious mailings, and phone banking are all within the context of COVID-19 and our rules on social distancing. But the campaigns go on—our political system has a schedule that has to be met with set election dates every two years.
Candidate and issue debates are a great way for campaigns to grab the attention of the media. There may not be many people in attendance at a debate or joint appearance among legislative or local-office candidates, but the resulting news story will get out there in the world and educate voters.
The Different Types of Debates
I have learned over the years that there are several types of candidate responses to proposed debates and joint appearances.
Type one: The candidate in the low-information campaign (anything aside from Governor, US House, or US Senate) is usually quite happy to take part. The opportunity to get free media coverage and to show off qualifications for the office is a gift.
Type two: Incumbents in high-information campaigns have very little incentive to take part. They often make a calculated decision that giving their opponents anything for free is something they do not need to get involved in. The only way to get incumbents to show up is to have a well-financed and competitive challenger who can make a big deal about the incumbent not showing up—the shame factor often works.
Type three: The candidates who just love to talk policy and issues. In Oregon history it has not been uncommon for opposing candidates to drive together to events, have a lively debate, then head home with a stop for coffee or marionberry pie. My good friend Verne Duncan did this when he ran against Monroe Sweetland (also a good friend) for a seat in the Oregon Senate in 1998. I don’t know if they had pie, but Verne was quite happy to pick up the non-driving Monroe and head off for events. A version of this at the state level occurred in the late 1960s. Democrat Jim Redden (then in the Oregon House, headed for terms as Oregon’s Attorney General and Treasurer and then a federal judgeship) and Republican Lee Johnson (House member, headed for terms as Oregon’s Attorney general, a judge on the Court of Appeals, and Governor Vic Atiyeh’s first Chief of Staff) would dine together, head to a venue to fiercely debate a sales tax proposal, and then head out for drinks at a steak house afterwards.
But among all these types, the format of the debate or joint appearance does not necessarily help the voters that much. A big issue is the quality of the questions. They tend to be asked by journalists, and they tend to reflect either what the latest headlines are, or they try to take a deep dive into the details of policies and policy making. In either case, the answers are usually already known. The only real news is whether a candidate makes a big mistake or misunderstands something.
Q: The Best Debate? A: Maybe Not a Debate…
"PENDLETON OREGON WHEAT pugh family photos945" by DON PUGH PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
There is a better alternative out there, but it might not be made for the television and social-media era.
During the 2002 gubernatorial election, I attended a candidate forum put on by the Oregon Wheat Growers League (OWGL). For those of you who have never met the OWGL, it is one of the more amazing groups in Oregon. Wheat is grown in massive quantities in eastern Oregon, and its market is throughout the world. It was Oregon wheat that spurred the creation in Japan of the modern version of ramen noodles in the 1950s and 1960s. The OWGL had an office in Tokyo about twenty-five years before the state of Oregon opened an official trade office there. This is an Oregon group that is firmly placed in the global economy and has been for decades.
The 2002 gubernatorial primary was remarkable. There were three strong candidates for both the Republican and Democratic nomination. The six would travel the state for forums and appearances, all appearing together and getting to know the arguments and personalities of their fellow candidates.
The wheat growers had a different way to run their forum. They knew from years of experience, that governors don’t really know that much about the many, many issues that come up during a term in office. But governors do know who to hire and rely on for counsel in order to make the best decisions. The wheat growers format was to invite each of the candidates, along with a single advisor, to receive a policy-making conundrum. Then the pair, candidate and advisor, had a few hours to put together a response. The actual forum was the results of those consultations.
What did the wheat growers learn?
They saw which candidates could relatively quickly put together a viable plan to deal with a policy issue. They saw who the candidates might select to play a key advisory goal. They also got a sense about how the candidates could respond to problems that could unexpectedly arise while in office.
I am a teacher. As I talk with my students, I tell them that the main thing I look for in candidates is whether they can learn. The issues that candidates run on have an interesting way of not really coming up as problems during a person’s time in office. I want to know how candidates deal with all the new stuff they will encounter.
The OWGL model (and I have no idea if they still use it) is a creative way to help voters understand the capabilities of political candidates, not just their stances on well-understood issues. If I had my way, versions of the OWGL forum would be the rule, not the rare exception, during campaign season.
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