Posted by Tina
I think we are all sick of itsick and tired! The hype, the endless photo ops, the vacuous speechifying, the slogans and the parade of media darlings asking all the stupid questions that dont give the people what they needinformation. We are pandered to and we know it. How, we wonder, can we ever determine the true measure of these men when they are continually reduced to strutting on the political stage as if part of some orchestrated Hollywood extravaganza? Well the plain truth is, we cantand we resent it.
Over the weekend Pastor Rick Warren offered a different approach. His event was called the Saddleback Civil Forum and it was held at his twenty-two thousand member mega-church in Lake Forest, California. To find out more…
Events like this one, along with several debtes, could easily replace the media frenzy that now typifies our election cycle and I think they would be much more fruitful. If done right, they might result in a campaign period that only lasts two or three monthsfollowed by the nominating showand then the vote! Wouldnt that be refreshing?
Byron York at National Review offers a review of the forum in his piece, How McCain Won Saddleback:
The idea was for Warren to question Obama for an hour they tossed a coin to see who would go first and then ask the same questions of McCain, who was not allowed to hear what Obama had answered before him. Not a few people in the press thought it was a bad idea. Asking each man the same questions meant Warren couldnt tailor his queries to each man; sure, he could ask Obama about Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but what sense would it make to ask McCain, too? It seemed like a recipe for nothing much at all. *** But Pastor Rick hasnt built a huge church and sold more than 25 million copies of “The Purpose-Driven Life” for nothing. By the time Warren finished questioning Obama, people were eager to hear how McCain would handle the same subjects. In a debate, candidates are often asked the same question, but the second guy has always heard what the first guy said and tailors his answer accordingly. At Saddleback, there was something much different and more revealing going on. (all emphasis mine)
I was impressed with this format. Candidates were forced to stand on their own. They couldn’t play one up or try to cleverly undermine the remarks of their opponent. Hard hitting and honest queries were meant to give the people some real meat to chew on for a change. Abortion was one topic but the questions were generally designed to encourage the candidates to draw from their own experience and record for an answer. Here are a few of the questions asked of the candidates:
1. “Whats the most gut-wrenching decision youve ever had to make?
2. (Give us an example of a time when you went) against party loyalty and maybe even against your own best interest for the good of America.
3. Whatwould be the greatest moral failure in your life, and what would be the greatest moral failure of America?
Find more reviews of the evening HERE, HERE,
HERE, and HERE.
What do you think? Could we make this work?