Here in America, we have a longstanding tradition of political debate.
Think Lincoln-Douglas and Kennedy-Nixon.
We expect our leaders to be able to navigate public speaking and take fire in front of a crowd. That is, after all, a big part of the gig. If you can’t cut it squaring off against your opponents, how can you presume to govern?
The great American debate is falling out of fashion, as more politicians choose to opt out of this most important of political traditions.
That’s a bad thing for voters and our democracy.
We feel this acutely. During election season, the board hosts candidate endorsement conversations in person, virtually or in questionnaire form. We find it particularly disappointing when candidates refuse to show up to debates with their peers, as was the case yesterday with Chicago Public Schools board president candidate Hilario Dominguez, who pulled out of our endorsement meeting 35 minutes before the start with no reason given. The three other candidates came together for a rigorous — yet civil — debate.
Dropping out at the last minute is certainly a dramatic choice — though it pales in comparison to sending a junior staffer to lambast us on our home turf as one far-left candidate did during primary season — and it certainly means Dominguez gets to avoid the lion’s den. But it exposes an unwillingness on a cowardly candidate’s part to put themselves in challenging situations. Like, say, corralling the Chicago School Board, which makes speaking to us look like attending a tea party.
Debate ghosting, as we’ll call it, certainly advantages the leading candidate. When you’re ahead, it can pay to avoid unforced errors.
Just ask Don Tracy, the Republican running for U.S. Senate against Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. He’s made his opponent’s unwillingness to face off a leading campaign talking point.
While Stratton has committed to a debate on WTTW, Chicago’s local public television channel, that’s it.
We have had our differences with Stratton and how she’s run her campaign, and plenty of folks within the Democratic Party aren’t too keen with the governor’s heavy-handed push to get his lieutenant elected to the Senate. But to her great credit, she was willing to meet with us during primary endorsements and articulate her vision for the job, should she be elected to Congress.
We wish she’d do the same for regular voters, opting to take the stage a little more often, or at least in a setting outside friendly confines. She does, after all, have plenty of constituents all over the rest of the state. We’re guessing plenty of them would like to hear where she stands on the issues, beyond ads and platitudes.
In truth, it’s Stratton’s race to lose. Tracy has much more to gain by hitting the stage. So what? If Stratton wants supporters to feel confident in their vote, why not show them what you’ve got?
The same criticism extends to other candidates, including former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean, who is running to reclaim her old 8th Congressional District seat. Bean at the last minute dropped out of a Sept. 19 League of Women Voters debate against her Republican opponent Jennifer Davis, citing a “scheduling conflict.” We are happy she has agreed to meet with us.
Lest we imply that this is a Democrat-only problem, plenty of Republicans are doing the same thing.
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Darren Bailey this spring declined to debate his primary opponents Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heinder and James Mendrick, winning the primary election soundly anyway.
Bailey is rightfully upset that Gov. JB Pritzker has apparently declined to debate him and has agreed only to a single “forum” on WTTW, which does not typically reach a large downstage audience. We’d hope arrangements are being made for wider distribution.
Downstate U.S. Rep. Mary Miller also demurred when it came to debates. We suspect she didn’t want to have to take on a more pragmatic, independent-minded candidate in Judy Bowlby, whom we endorsed.
Both Bailey and Miller won their primaries handily, which unfortunately reinforces bad behavior. Namely, once you’re confident enough that you can win, campaigning becomes less about making your case to the public and more about holding your ground.
As campaigning increasingly takes to social media as the preferred way to capture voter support, and as polarization remains a pernicious problem, candidates obviously sense they can get away with ditching traditional debates. A Republican will get Republican voters, a Democrat will get Democratic voters.
That’s always been true. But especially given the rise of independents — 45%, according to Gallup — we believe the old ways still have value. Plenty of people are open-minded enough to hear somebody out. Debate is the great equalizer, and there is simply no hiding on stage once the lights come on. That’s the point.
When a candidate is only willing to speak into the echo chamber, that’s a bad sign. Illinois needs more politicians willing to test their mettle and share a stage, not only championing their own ideas but also signaling to voters that it’s possible to disagree and treat the other side with respect.
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