Make Them Mix It Up

Even before it has taken place, everyone is bemoaning the fact that Sunday’s presidential debate will not be a debate. True enough, the meeting between Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and Vice President George Bush will be not a traditional debate but a side-by-side appearance during which the two candidates will be asked questions by a panel of three correspondents.

In the past this has proved to be dull structured stuff. The chief aim of the participants was to sound profound and to avoid a major mistake. Evasion is another goal: trying to come across as knowledgeable and reasonable on the subject, but not answering the question directly.

Part of the problem has been the questions. Panelists too often try to sound incredibly intelligent by asking incredibly dull or complex questions. And everyone tries to be terribly respectful of everyone else. (A side point to be made is that the campaigns should have no role in selecting the panelists. This should be left entirely to the debate’s sponsors.)

This Sunday can be different. Moderator Jim Lehrer can make the difference by being more than just a timekeeper, as moderators tend to be. If the question is a poor one, Lehrer should feel free to amend it to make it more pointed. If Candidate A ignores the question and goes off on some tangent to make a rehearsed point or attack of his own, Lehrer should stop him and demand that the question be answered. Similarly, if Candidate B diverges during his response, Lehrer should feel free to bluntly put him back on track.

Most important, if Candidate B raises some new issue or unrelated allegation in his response to Candidate A’s answer, Lehrer should throw out the timer and give the other candidate an immediate opportunity to rebut.

No, it will not be a debate in the classic sense. There never has been one in a modern American presidential campaign. But the event need not turn out to be an uninformative dud, either. For the first time in years, neither participant is a sitting President, so there is no need to be overly deferential to either candidate for fear of being disrespectful of the presidency. There is precious little spontaneity in election campaigns these days. This is one opportunity to force the candidates to think on their feet. The more that can be done to prevent them from presenting rehearsed answers to obvious questions, the better. Make them mix it up.