Vital national interests and other seldom discussed issues

One can often form an opinion as much by what is not said as by what is said. This idea applies to America in 2007. I wonder why certain political questions are just not on the table, questions about issues that are of vital national interest to us and our children. “Briefs or boxers” is not such an important question. And just who is deciding the questions that can be asked?

The run up to the 2008 federal elections seems like business as usual, i.e., the status quo reigns supreme. If the politicians and their hired campaign staffs do “a, b, and c”, then we voters will do “d, e, and f”.

And the questions not asked are not just in debates. The same principle applies to polls and polling questions. Yet debates and polls are used and citied as indicators about America today, how politicians are doing, and even as reliable predictors of what we voters will do. No wonder election results are so full of surprises. But as a voter I don’t want to be surprised!

Here’s a suggested top ten list of debate questions I would like answered.
1. What is a vital national interest?
2. What are our domestic vital national interests?
3. What are our foreign vital national interests?
4. How important is Congress in running our Country?
5. How would you build consensus between the Executive and the Congress?
6. How would you solve deficit federal spending?
7. How would you solve the Social Security and Medicare problems?
8. How would you enforce the labor and environmental portions of free trade treaties we enter into?
9. How would you lead us out of the politics of personal destruction problem?
10. How would you educate our children better than today?

All these questions demand more than a short sound bite answer. And prepared answers don’t count as answers. And of course politicians will obfuscate debate questions as best they can.

For a candidate for Congressional office, I would add three more questions.
11. Do vital national priorities trump local priorities?
12. Do you believe in term limits, and why?
13. Is it time for more amendments to our Constitution?

Poll questions, and the normal multiple choice answers, should follow this theme of debate questions to be a useful tool to all concerned, especially those concerned about surprises or embarrassment.

Last, there is a strong sense that both national political parties no longer represent we voters very well for a myriad of reasons. In raw numbers, Americans who think of themselves as independents outnumber republicans, or democrats, when taken on one at a time. In this sense is an air of great change in the making. After all, the present candidates for president are running for the two national party nominations, only. While it is simply too difficult and too late to have an independent third party effort in 2008, or a party takeover effort, it is not too late to ask those running for federal offices what they classify themselves to be to the voters. For example, instead of being “Name (D)”, why not ask them to be “Name (D.A)” or “Name (R.A)” to indicate their intention to follow some future American (A) or national interest party (N) in the future. The intent is to amplify the importance of “vital” national interests as compared to “other” national and local interests.

This voter would like to know what the candidates think about our vital national interests before casting a vote.