Lots of news has been made over last Thursday’s Fox News “Prime Time” 9pm debate. However, as a citizen observer, I’d like to cut through the hyperbole that’s been rampant over the past many days and instead ask a number of questions:
- Did you think that Fox News was any better or worse than any other network regarding news and candidate views?
- Does a moderator have the responsibility to give equal time to every candidate, assuming that there is no pre-defined rule governing such a time limit?
- Doesn’t Fox News have their own agenda that may or may not coincide with either the Republican National Committee and/or its viewers?
- Were the questions that the moderators asked any more or less tougher than what any other network moderators would ask?
- Do you think the GOP candidates should be asked any question for the purposes of seeing how the particular candidate will respond under pressure, no matter the efficacy of the question?
- If Fox News and Megyn Kelly (just to briefly address one issue brought up during the debate) are as concerned as they appear to be over a candidate’s alleged negativity discussing women’s looks, then why are virtually all of Fox News’ female anchors essentially dressed as and exhibit strikingly similar body types that could be found at a Miss America pageant?
- What kinds of questions do you think that Democrats would ask of a Republican?
- Is it better to get a presidential candidate as fully vetted as possible and as quickly as possible versus at the time they’re about to be nominated?
- Is America voting for a pastor or a President?
- Is it OK to you to vote for a presidential candidate who may not be 100% in lock-step with your social views but could be an excellent leader anyway?
In case there is any doubt, my intentions of asking these questions is to impress upon my readers that we are considering the credentials of numerous candidates for the purpose of bestowing the highest federal office in the land upon them.
Further, we are also testing their soft skills for the purposes of understanding how a given candidate will respond/react in a given situation. This means that while observers like me have certain biases towards certain candidates, that doesn’t mean that minds have been made up at this point.
The one thing I will say about all the candidates — every one of them — is that, in spite of whatever their personal motivation(s) may be, I believe they’re all serious about running, that nobody is going to quit the race until a metric (such as actual support or money) runs out, and as such, they deserve as many questions about their past, character, future thoughts, and diversion tactics as possible.
Remember — if their candidacy cannot survive the heat of the court of public opinion, then they have no hope of surviving the intestinal fortitude it takes to be President.