“Stay Calm and Don’t Yell”: The Gubernatorial Debate

As Arnold Schwarzenegger and Phil Angelides prepare for their first and only debate tonight, it may be helpful for them to take some advice from experts in the field. These young experts, aged 11-14, engage in dozens of debates every year, on topics that range from NAFTA expansion to the war in Iraq. They are participants in Claremont McKenna College’s Middle School Public Debate Program, the largest and most rigorous middle school debating program in the world. Candidates may be heartened to know that hundreds of young students are paying close attention to their campaigns and speeches. Eight of these young experts recently met to advise the candidates for a debate that could make or break their run for the state’s highest office. The students were split on who they thought might win the debate, but drew deeply on their debate experience (nearly 250 debates among them) to give advice to both candidates, including “Keep eye contact” (Heather Durham, Chino Hills) and “Stay calm and don’t yell” (Rebecca Dizon, Long Beach). The panel of budding pundits organized their advice into three categories: 1. Answer the Other Side’s Arguments Bucking the tradition of political debates in this country, in which debates contain more unconnected oratories than active clash of ideas, students felt strongly that the candidates should answer the arguments made by the other side. “If you don’t answer the opposing arguments, then you’re just engaging in a parallel set of assertions,” said Justin Davis, who was the elder statesman of the group as a recent graduate of Nicolet Middle School in Banning. Dizon agreed: “It shows that you can think on your feet. Also, if you don’t answer you opponent, people may get the impression that you don’t know what you’re talking about.” But Ben Sprung-Keyser, from Los Angeles, pointed out that the candidates should apply this advice carefully. Candidates, he said, should be careful not to seem defensive. “To answer every argument, big and small, will allow the debate to be conducted on your opponent’s turf. Instead, you need to drive home your own themes and arguments while still seeming responsive.” 2. Make Your Arguments Seem Important Candidates need to make sure their arguments seem credible and authoritative. “Don’t use an argument that you know is weak,” advised Durham. “It is better to have two strong arguments than five weak ones.” Jake Sonnenberg of Los Angeles concurred, saying: “Anyone can give a list of arguments, but explaining why they matter can mean the difference between a winning argument and an irrelevant one.” As to how the candidates should go about showing the importance of their arguments, the students felt that select stories were very powerful. “In a political debate, you need to give arguments emotional weight,” said Sprung-Keyser. “Talk about lives, hopes, dreams, whatever you want – but move people.” 3. Use Evidence to Support Your Ideas Middle school debaters learn that an argument has three parts: an assertion, reasoning, and evidence. They also know from their debate experience that empirical support for logical analysis is essential and often lacking in debates. That may be the reason so many of the students felt that the candidates should pay attention to evidence in Saturday’s debate. “Phil Angelides and Governor Schwarzenegger should definitely provide evidence in the debate,” said Davis. Jenna Blinkinsop of Palm Springs took this further, arguing that “without evidence, everything you say is just an opinion.” While other young Californians will be kicking a soccer ball or surfing the Internet on Saturday night, these students and hundreds more like them will be glued to the TV, watching the debate. They will be paying particular attention to details and techniques that many adults might not even notice. Ultimately, they will be looking to be inspired as young Californians and future voters. Vanessa Wilcox, from Palm Springs, summed up the group’s advice this way: “The most important things to remember in the debate are to be passionate, confident, and think about what is truly important to Californians. If you are confident in what you are saying and you are convincing, you can sway a lot of voters.” In particular, candidates may be able to sway the next generation of voters, as Wilcox pointed out: “People are looking for leaders who are enthusiastic and down to earth. As a young Californian, I would suggest thinking about all age groups. We are the future of California.”