2-person debates address issues more deeply. McLean should reconsider participating
When they go low, you go — away?
In Tuesday’s first head-to-head debate between incumbent Boise Mayor Dave Bieter and his challenger, City Council president Lauren McLean, Bieter went on the offensive, repeatedly challenging McLean’s record, positions and her ability to “make the tough decisions,” as he says he has had to do in his 16 years as mayor.
In a race that’s as much of a referendum on Bieter’s style of management and perceived inability to accept criticism or opposing views, I wasn’t so sure that going on the attack was the best strategy.
Unfortunately, that might be the last time we see the two candidates in a face-to-face debate.
About four hours after the debate Tuesday, McLean sent out a press release stating that she would not participate in any more debates, noting that she has already participated in nine debates/forums as part of the general election, which included seven candidates for mayor.
“My campaign is rooted in listening, not drama,” according to her release.
She said time is short and she would prefer to hold listening sessions with voters, as early voting starts on Monday.
“So, no, I’m not going to continue to debate Mayor Bieter, though he’s pushing hard for additional opportunities to fight,” according to her release. “I know where he stands, and we’ve covered the same ground time and again. There’s a great deal of work to do in a short amount of time, and I’m prioritizing people over performative politics.”
To some degree, I get where she’s coming from. There was a whole mess of debates and forums with the candidates leading up to the Nov. 5 election. Many of the same questions were asked over and over again.
But, as those who watched Tuesday’s debate probably noticed, the one-on-one was an opportunity to dig deeper on the issues than was available at the earlier forums with several candidates. I moderated two forums, one for mayoral candidates and one for City Council candidates, and I helped formulate the questions and the formats. When dealing with so many candidates, the best you can do is ask the question and allow a minute to answer. There’s little opportunity for follow-ups and rebuttals.
In the one-on-one debate, there was more time for rebuttal and true debate.
McLean also included an odd line in her release: “I believe that debates are largely of interest to people with the spare time to tune in and inclination to seek out ‘fireworks.’”
It was my sense at Tuesday’s debate that there were certainly people there who have already made up their minds and are already on Team Bieter or Team McLean, and maybe just want their candidate to punch out.
But I think it’s cynical to suggest that the voters are not interested in the debate of the issues.
The reason we have a runoff is because no one candidate received a majority of votes. McLean came close, but she still needed another 3,000 votes or so to put her over the top. Come Dec. 3, she’s going to need to not only energize her base again, but either convince Bieter voters to switch horses or convince people who voted for Rebecca Arnold or Brent Coles to vote for her over Bieter. Combined, Arnold and Coles received nearly 11,000 votes, or more than 20% of the total.
Arnold and Coles voters, not to mention the 1,795 people who voted for Wayne Richey, Adriel Martinez and Cortney Nielsen combined, are looking for a different candidate now that it’s down to two. One of the best ways to inform those voters is to have a debate and make your pitch to those voters.
Finally, I think it’s not a good look to decline to do any further debates. Bieter’s campaign already is making hay with the issue.
“Boiseans deserve to see how their mayor reacts to adversity and defends their vision for the future of our city against their opponents — not just how they choose to curate their image in situations they control,” according to a release sent by the campaign Wednesday. “Yesterday’s debate was the first time Council Member McLean has ever had to answer to her own record and choices as a public leader, and I’m sure it was uncomfortable for her. I know those moments haven’t been the most comfortable for me throughout my career. But, as mayor, I also know I can’t skirt the responsibility to engage in hard, difficult conversations.”
By declining to have further debates, that only benefits Bieter’s campaign.
This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 2:33 PM.
