WASHINGTON—While Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will only have three chances to impress the nation, collegiate parliamentary debaters use their skills at tournaments every weekend.
Three champion debaters say that Trump and Clinton must do three things to win Monday’s debate at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, and potentially some votes in November.
1. Focus on a small group of voters
The candidates need to focus on a small portion of what will likely be record viewership—undecided voters.
“The primary audience isn’t the undecided voter, it’s the undecided voter filtered through the media,” said Brown graduate Alex Mechanick, who ranks ninth all-time among American parliamentary debaters in final round appearances.
Mechanick says that Clinton may have an advantage among voters who don’t watch every word of the debate. She can give canned, almost boring responses to Trump attacks regarding her email server and trustworthiness, avoiding a testy back-and-forth that will draw post-debate attention.
“She can get the media to have all its major stories about things she wants to highlight,” Mechanick said. “It doesn’t matter if she came out much better if the pundits decide Trump rules.”
Harry Elliott, a Stanford junior and top speaker of the 2016 U.S. Universities Debate Championship, says undecided voters aren’t necessarily choosing between Trump and Clinton—they are choosing whether or not to vote at all.
“People on the sidelines are looking for someone to vote for,” Elliott said. “They are looking for someone who is serious and someone you can trust.”
If Trump comes across as serious and Clinton quells questions about her trustworthiness, Elliott says they both could sway some undecided voters.
2. Engage and explain
If both candidates are forced to explain their policies and why they will work, as opposed to why they are good, then undecided voters will have more information.
“In many collegiate debates, the stunning, breathtaking, crucial moments happen many speeches in,” Mechanick said. “Usually, because someone has already committed to a position or statement and the other debater can speak to the claim.”
When Trump or Clinton are forced to explain a policy, it will show voters how much they grasp the issues. It also allows the other candidate to respond immediately, which gives undecided voters a direct comparison.
“They don’t tend to get asked because they seem like softballs,” Mechanick said of questions that ask the candidate to explain policy. “But a question that sounds like a softball actually is way tougher.”
If Clinton can explain how income inequality will be solved under her administration or if Trump explains how a border wall will make America secure, that can sway an undecided voter.
Elliott wants to see both candidates talk extensively about the economy. Trump needs to explain how he will cut the deficit while also lowering taxes and Clinton needs to offer more specifics about growing the middle class.
The debates won’t offer the chance to explain policy in depth, but they offer the chance for voters to see if one of the candidates is out of his or her depth.
“There’s a limited upside but very high downside to the debates,” Elliott said. “When [George] H.W. Bush looked at his watch in 1992, the small things people do sum up and characterize the debates.”
3. Go on the offensive
Alison Douglis is a former Yale debater and current coach for the Yale Debate Association, the top-ranked collegiate debate team for eight consecutive years.
“In the world of competitive college debate, you never want to do defense,” Douglis said. “This is like debate 101, go for offense over defense because that’s how you win rounds, at least within narrower atmosphere of presidential debates.”
That means Trump and Clinton need to argue how their presidency would be best for all Americans as opposed to focusing on each other’s shortcomings.
Clinton shouldn’t waste time on Trump’s statements about Mexicans, and Trump shouldn’t spend time arguing that Clinton isn’t trustworthy. Pointing out the other candidate’s flaws might make for good television, but it won’t sway undecided voters, Douglis said.
“Debates are more like soccer than football,” Mechanick said. “She [Clinton] needs to score two goals and the rest can just happen.”
Since Clinton is the favorite according to the debaters, the onus is on her to win one or two major arguments decisively.
If the media doesn’t have a specific policy argument to talk about after the debate, more attention will be put on Trump’s attacks about Clinton’s character.
Voters will need “to get a sense of what those issues are, what are you bringing to the table and why does this matter,” Douglis said. “We all know about Trump’s wall but beyond that what exactly would he do?”
Alex Daugherty: 202-383-6049, @alextdaugherty
Comments