DEBATE: Find common ground with live debates
As a community divided, a state divided, a nation divided, we grow further and further apart each day.
The upcoming election has intensified those divisions, let’s find common ground.
Obviously, technology has played a huge part in modern campaign strategy. Not always bad, not always good, it’s up to us to turn this trend toward the good. Let’s not let technology replace live debate. The Idaho candidates are leading campaigns based on mailings, e-mailings, texts, and social media posts, but there’s virtually no live debate.
It’s easy to see that this is good campaign strategy for current incumbents. When the candidate is favored, they don’t take the risk to elevate the opponent, or to help get the opponent’s name out in any way. The problem is that we, the voters, do not get any opportunity to see the candidates live and to see their differences and responses in real time. Real time debates are typically less heated, people are not quite as brave to sling insults at someone in person when they can respond. The result is that we get a more substantive conversation about the issues facing Idaho, the issues that voters truly care about.
The campaign trail can certainly be grueling, especially for incumbents currently serving. It’s like holding two jobs at once. Here’s where technology helps, just one debate would certainly be enough. It can be live streamed, zoomed, whatever the candidates choose in order to reach all of Idaho. Your challengers would surely schedule the debate at the time and place that works for your schedule, with agreed upon moderators and venue of course. If more than one debate can be scheduled, even better.
Debate is not my area of expertise, but I’ve noticed that in a debate, the opponents tend to look for common ground, and usually find it. So let’s find some common ground in politics right now. Can we all agree that we deserve to see live debates?
As an Idaho voter, I’m directly requesting debates for all positions on the November ballot, and specifically for the offices currently held by Governor Little, Senator Risch, Representative Fulcher. Idaho voters deserve the opportunity to hear from you directly, your opponents have requested debates, let’s get these scheduled.
ROBBI BERG
Hayden