I’ve worked in the White House & I know what it takes to get there. What I’m looking for at first Republican debate
The presidency is a job. It bears a job description, constitutionally and functionally. Voters in effect conduct the job interviews, winnow the field of applicants, and make a final choice. Direct democracy demands the type of access, argument, and accountability provided by official candidate forums. The Fox News debate Wednesday is the first true opportunity for voters to see and hear most of the declared Republican candidates, shoulder to shoulder, live, and facing tough questions from moderators, if not each other.
The temptation is to go viral; the task is to present oneself as a serious policymaker, unifier and visionary at a fraught time in America.
Here are six key things I will look and listen for in the debate:
First, how will candidates handle the front-runner and former president, absent from the stage but hovering over the election and dominating in the national and state polls? Their conundrum is simple: on the one hand, they must attack Trump, and on the other hand, they must attract Trump voters. The temptation to pile-on Trump, who has said he will not participate in “any” debates, might include his legal woes, which a vast majority of GOP voters say is driven by partisan politics, or his “personality” or his policies.
The candidates don’t bear Trump’s burdens, nor does he bear theirs. He is the most recognizable political name on the planet, boasts a list of accomplishments as president and is leading every one of them in every poll.