There’s a fundamental problem with the Democratic presidential debates. It’s not the number of candidates, the little talk of climate change or the debates’ “divisiveness.” It goes deeper than that. These debates operate on a flawed premise that runs right through the whole primary process: that what the candidates say now reflects how they’ll govern.
We watch them, volunteer our time and money, or fend off our friends’ jabs — all with some expectation the candidates will do what they promise. Even the more learned (or cynical) of us, who hem and haw, “Well, with Congress, checks and balances and whatnot, they won’t be able to do everything,” we still accept this basic idea. We still assume these candidates are running based on their visions for the country — that their vision determines their run. In fact, candidates’ professed “visions,” no matter how left wing, are essentially corporate marketing. They are meticulously designed to help these candidates run and win.