Hoping for Great Debates

The agreement to engage in televised debates next month does credit to both Dianne Feinstein and John K. Van de Kamp. It also creates an important precedent for the November general election in which Sen. Pete Wilson, who is assured of the Republican nomination for governor, will face the winner of the June Democratic primary.

Feinstein, the former mayor of San Francisco, and Van de Kamp, the state attorney general, have placed heavy reliance thus far in their run for governor on TV commercials. The commercials, in turn, have had a direct impact on public opinion, as measured by polls, with mercurial changes in the relative rating of the two candidates.

The two hourlong debates hold the promise, if not the assurance, of a more substantial response to the issues. There is the obvious risk in television debates that the theatrical will overwhelm the serious. But those risks are small compared with the opportunity for voters to judge the ideas and commitments with which the candidates respond to questions.

The same polls that show substantial voter indecision also reflect a growing anxiety among the electorate regarding the problems of the state, including its deteriorating public-health and education systems, drought, pollution, growth and the adequacy of existing taxes.

If nothing else, the debates create an opportunity to measure the quality of the statesmanship of each candidate, something that even glib responses and stage cosmetics cannot easily conceal.