Q re: Presidential Debates
A's from Conservatives, Moderates and Liberals
Question
What will you be watching for in any Presidential debates that might occur between now and the election in November?
This post is part of a Q&A series with voters who have volunteered to share their perspectives leading up to the November 2024 election.
Answers
Note: As of now, we have not received responses to this question from any of our conservative participants.
Carl (conservative): No. My IQ is low enough as it is.
Scott from Rochester, Michigan (conservative): During the debates, I will be watching to see how Harris responds when attacked, but more importantly, how does she frame her policy points?
Liz in VA (moderate)
I will [be watching the debate(s)] but more to see how the arguments are being refined over time. I believe that "under pressure" responses are the best for us to know how a candidate will respond when an emergency occurs. Will they process data and chose an effective course of action, or do they throw rocks? Can they analyze and respond? Can they step outside their rehearsed lines and present new thoughts. This isn't a scorecard (or heaven forbid the bingo cards that so often accompany these events). It's considering if they can cogently address issues that are asked--not sidestepped.
Before retiring I spent more than 20 years hiring executives and identifying candidates ready for executive development. The positions were C-suite in nature and overseeing policies and financial management. In many cases they had national and international impacts. What I will look for: The skills are the ability and temperament to lead a diverse cohort. The recognition of the scope and responsibility associated with meeting with and negotiating to reach an optimal outcome. The ability to distinguish between factual information and fantasy. Can they tell the truth. Can I trust them with our future. That is what I am looking for.Geoff Wise (centrist)
I'll primarily be looking for further details from the candidates on their specific policy plans. What changes do they want to make in the tax code? How would they tackle foreign policy challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine and containment of China? What reforms do they want to make in campaign finance, elections and environmental law?
I'll admit that I'll also be expecting some entertainment as the candidates square off!Nina (moderate)
I don’t plan to watch the debate because it will not affect my vote, and it normalizes Trump as a nominee. I hope that the moderators can keep some control over the event, but am not hopeful that it will go well. Allowing lies to repeat uncontested or under-contested on national television has no upside. Watching a meltdown (of one or both contestants) has no upside.John from Michigan (independent)
I am generally frustrated by watching Presidential debates. I think that past participants have spent a small fraction of the time answering the questions that are asked. It seems like they have been coached by PR experts on how to control the narrative. It isn’t going to happen, but it would be nice if there was a non-subjective score which rated the degree to which they actually stay on topic.That said, I am generally looking for:
Sincere attempts to answer the questions that are asked
A reasonable degree of respectful behavior, as in, not trying to dominate by interrupting
The ability to string together a coherent response. No word salads.
I want to hear about goals and related actions. It is easy to say you want a million dollars. What action are you going to take to get it? And actions have to be something that is within your control as President. Broad, vague platitudes are insulting to me.
If we can get past that list, then there is some chance of me judging the merit of what they have to say.
Maggie Smith (liberal)
I personally do not take much value from these debates. The response time is limited and does not allow for meaningful discussion on issues facing our nation.They can be entertaining especially when quotable lines are stated:
"There you go again" Ronald Regan. 1980 debate
"I served with Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was my friend - you, sir, are no Jack Kennedy" Senator Lloyd Bentsen. 1992 debate
I am interested in watching VP Harris's performance as this is a rehearsed performance. Will she command the stage, as she has done in some debates? Will President Trump stay on message?The only debates that I have found valuable are those that include questions from the audience.
Dan Mariano (progressive-leaning liberal)
I will be watching for a few distinct decisions and behaviors from both candidates. Not as someone on the fence, as I already made my decision on who I will be voting for, but rather watching how this first and possibly only face-to-face match-up will set the stage for this final stretch of the election.
In regards to Vice President Kamala Harris, I will be looking to see where and how (if at all) she proposes policies that differ from those of the Biden administration. While I would like to see a continuation of the Biden agenda in virtually every regard, I understand that the American electorate is looking for something different. Running as a change candidate means breaking away from the current administration, and I imagine it would be in regards to immigration and the economy, as these are perceived to be the Administration's weak points.Additionally, if she were to be elected President, as the first woman to hold that office she will have a vested interest in a more aggressive foreign policy approach. Possibly hawk-ish. But if not, then I think we will begin to see in the debate what shape her role as Commander in Chief will be, as regional war continues to ravage Europe and the Middle East, to say nothing of an increasingly brazen and confrontational China in the Pacific.
When it comes to former President Donald Trump, I will also be looking for indications of change in position or policy, particularly as it relates to abortion access and the Justice Department. I believe these to be the core pillars of weakness and grievance for the former President's campaign, and although he has expressed positions on both before, this debate is going to be more definitive for any voters he is trying to persuade or bring back into the party. Abortion access is, as has been observed in the years following Dobbs, the most unpopular legacy of the former President's administration and for the Republican party across the country. Given that the religious parts of his base are rather absolutist, and calling for a total ban both in Project 2025 and in much of their state election races, I will be watching to see if and how he attempts to play to the middle (in order to court the suburban women he needs in order to win) without disturbing or dissuading those single-issue voters.As it relates to the Justice Department and the ongoing prosecutions against him, I suspect that this is where the "Come Retribution" theme of the campaign, as Steve Bannon once described it, will come into play. As he may be perceiving himself on the backfoot in the race by the time of the debate, since this election is as existential for him as it is for the country, this is where I will be watching for any sort of dog-whistles and calls to action directed to the radicalized elements of his base. What form those will take, or how direct they will be, will be what I am looking for the most out of this whole debate.
I am not expecting the debate to be incredibly effective on the outcome of the election, but I do think it will determine the shape and nature of the rest of the election season.
This post is part of a Q&A series with voters who have volunteered
to share their perspectives leading up to the November 2024 election.
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