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Here is a little secret behind what appears to be a high risk circus act by candidates. Q & A
Most Town Halls have a Q & A period. Chris Christie would say that as the parent of teenagers he has learned to ignore shouted questions and he would call on people at random. The Q & A is often presented as a big risk. It is as if the candidate is a circus performer, up high on a wire who turns to the audience and demands the ground crew remove the safety net! The hazard! The courage! The self confidence! Ten TV cameras, a live audience, and now a random question from just anywhere.
What a daredevil! A difficult or embarrassing question might come from just anywhere. The candidate must be fully prepared to be president to take such a risk.
So here is the secret: Random questions are not hard at all. There are fewer than ten questions ever asked, they are all about the same, and the candidate has answered them a hundred times already. Plus the candidate can insert stuff from his stump speech to address the question. And no candidate actually has to answer the question asked.
A couple of articles are posted today from sources that skew liberal. They imply that Rubio is avoiding something difficult and that he would be unprepared, further implying that Rubio's repetition of a set speech at a recent debate revealed that he cannot answer questions. This is an error.
If Rubio only scheduled a 40 minute event so that he could squeeze in multiple rallies it was completely an issue of time. People want to hear the speech and they want their selfies. He dispensed with Q and A for time reasons.
There is no trick to answering questions.
What questions are predictable?
1. Something about guns. Do you really, really support gun rights? (Yes. . . .)
2. Something about abortion. Are your really against it? (Yes. . . . )
3. Something about the Middle East. Will you keep us safe? (Yes.. . . )
4. Something about your opponents. Are you better than them? (Yes. . . )
Then the hard questions, the ones that the audience is afraid you will muff:
5. You get money from donors. Are you beholden? (No. They like me because they are patriots, like you. I am independent.)
6. You repeated yourself. Do you have set speeches? (No. There are points I want to emphasize so I chose my words carefully. We really must dispel the notion that Barrack Obama doesn't know what he is doing. . . .)
7. Are you old and mature enough? (Experience in Florida and the US Senate and people are demanding change. It is the 21st Century.)
Then a couple of oddball questions, where no answer is right or wrong but the candidate needs to know not to answer stupidly. He needs to remember to stay in character as a presidential candidate.
8. Do you wear boxers or briefs? (Clinton actually answered this, which was a mistake. The correct answer is a big smile and "whatever is in the drawer" or some other non answer.
9. What is your favorite book? (The Bible)
10. What do you hate about campaigning (away from my children), eat for breakfast (cereal), watch on TV ( football), favorite movie (quick: scan mental library for something not risqué, with a good message and a proper hero, consider a Disney film but dismiss it because there might be an old style Disney princess who is pretty, or a new one like Frozen that some people think in gay, quick, think of an old one maybe, "Its a Wonderful Life", or maybe some Charlie Brown Christmas special. It turns out that this one is the only difficult question, and it is a the one that is silly and trivial. Pundits and opponents could analyze to death your answer. "I don't know, too many to say," is the safest.
The questions and answers to those questions will take up 30 minutes and it is time for the candidate to end it and go shake hands and do selfies.
Here is a little secret behind what appears to be a high risk circus act by candidates. Q & A
Most Town Halls have a Q & A period. Chris Christie would say that as the parent of teenagers he has learned to ignore shouted questions and he would call on people at random. The Q & A is often presented as a big risk. It is as if the candidate is a circus performer, up high on a wire who turns to the audience and demands the ground crew remove the safety net! The hazard! The courage! The self confidence! Ten TV cameras, a live audience, and now a random question from just anywhere.
 |
| Politico Article today |
What a daredevil! A difficult or embarrassing question might come from just anywhere. The candidate must be fully prepared to be president to take such a risk.
So here is the secret: Random questions are not hard at all. There are fewer than ten questions ever asked, they are all about the same, and the candidate has answered them a hundred times already. Plus the candidate can insert stuff from his stump speech to address the question. And no candidate actually has to answer the question asked.
 |
| Talking Points Memo article today |
A couple of articles are posted today from sources that skew liberal. They imply that Rubio is avoiding something difficult and that he would be unprepared, further implying that Rubio's repetition of a set speech at a recent debate revealed that he cannot answer questions. This is an error.
If Rubio only scheduled a 40 minute event so that he could squeeze in multiple rallies it was completely an issue of time. People want to hear the speech and they want their selfies. He dispensed with Q and A for time reasons.
There is no trick to answering questions.
What questions are predictable?
1. Something about guns. Do you really, really support gun rights? (Yes. . . .)
2. Something about abortion. Are your really against it? (Yes. . . . )
3. Something about the Middle East. Will you keep us safe? (Yes.. . . )
4. Something about your opponents. Are you better than them? (Yes. . . )
Then the hard questions, the ones that the audience is afraid you will muff:
5. You get money from donors. Are you beholden? (No. They like me because they are patriots, like you. I am independent.)
6. You repeated yourself. Do you have set speeches? (No. There are points I want to emphasize so I chose my words carefully. We really must dispel the notion that Barrack Obama doesn't know what he is doing. . . .)
7. Are you old and mature enough? (Experience in Florida and the US Senate and people are demanding change. It is the 21st Century.)
Then a couple of oddball questions, where no answer is right or wrong but the candidate needs to know not to answer stupidly. He needs to remember to stay in character as a presidential candidate.
8. Do you wear boxers or briefs? (Clinton actually answered this, which was a mistake. The correct answer is a big smile and "whatever is in the drawer" or some other non answer.
9. What is your favorite book? (The Bible)
10. What do you hate about campaigning (away from my children), eat for breakfast (cereal), watch on TV ( football), favorite movie (quick: scan mental library for something not risqué, with a good message and a proper hero, consider a Disney film but dismiss it because there might be an old style Disney princess who is pretty, or a new one like Frozen that some people think in gay, quick, think of an old one maybe, "Its a Wonderful Life", or maybe some Charlie Brown Christmas special. It turns out that this one is the only difficult question, and it is a the one that is silly and trivial. Pundits and opponents could analyze to death your answer. "I don't know, too many to say," is the safest.
The questions and answers to those questions will take up 30 minutes and it is time for the candidate to end it and go shake hands and do selfies.
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