‘Name members of your first Cabinet’: How to make CNN’s debate more fun
If you’ve followed politics long enough, you can probably predict most of the questions that President Biden and Donald Trump will be asked at the CNN debate: “What would you do about inflation?” “Will you accept the results of the 2024 election?” “How would you resolve the latest crisis in the Middle East?” Sometimes, the moderators might even throw in an (easily anticipated) “offbeat” question: “What’s your favorite book?” “What’s the best thing about your opponent?” (To which the contenders typically say something nice about their opponent’s family, though that might prove difficult this time around.)
None of these questions will reveal very much about the character and cognitive skills of the candidates. They are too easy to puree into well-rehearsed sound bites that can be recited by hitting the “PLAY” button inside the candidate’s head. What we need are questions that not even a week-long mountain retreat could prepare them for, game showlike twists that force the candidates out of their comfort zones. Questions like these:
A train leaves New York at 8 a.m. heading west at 85 miles an hour. Another train leaves Los Angeles heading east at 90 miles an hour. When do the two trains meet, and how much should Amtrak subsidize them?
You are two of the least popular candidates in history. What is your most admirable character trait that critics don’t appreciate? (Each candidate gets 30 seconds to answer.)
What is your opponent’s least admirable character trait that admirers don’t recognize? (Each candidate gets 15 minutes to answer.)
Which recording artist most reflects your musical taste? Patti Page? Vic Damone? Rudy Vallée? Enrico Caruso?
To Biden: You say inflation was 9 percent when you took office. Your Bureau of Labor Statistics says it was 1.4 percent. How accurately can you estimate the price of eggs?
To Trump: You’ve said Trump Tower is 68 stories high. Official data says it’s 58 stories high. How much in tax deductions are you claiming for servicing apartments on those 10 imaginary floors?
Starting at 100, count backward by sevens.
Complete this sentence: “Looking back at my life, the one thing I wish I had never done is …”
If Shakespeare didn’t write all those plays, who did?
What’s your least favorite state? Why?
What’s the difference between “OPS” and “OPS plus”? (Bonus points for a candidate who can successfully bluff his way through this question without admitting he does not know what OPS is.)
Name the members of your first Cabinet.
President Biden, you claim you want to stop big food companies from shrinking the amount of snacks in their packages. Mr. Trump, you want to stop low-flush toilets. What other highly inconsequential policies do you both have to offer?
Finish this line: “The most significant technological breakthrough in my life has been …” CompuServe? Betamax? Touch-tone phones? Color TV?
To Trump: Some economists argue that the Federal Reserve Board’s focus on the money supply as its metric for setting interest rates should — given its central focus on inflation — encompass not just M1, but also M2 and M3. Others argue that fiscal policy, in terms of domestic and military outlays, is the best area of focus for concerns about inflation. Mr. Trump, would you like to pretend to understand this question?
To Biden: Your opponent is under four criminal indictments, has been found liable for sexual abuse and defamation, and has had his businesses fined millions of dollars for financial chicanery. Yet by large majorities, Americans trust him more on major issues like the economy and immigration, and believe his administration was more of a success than yours. Is it too late for you to withdraw?