Sen. John McCain has proposed the adoption of an American version of the Prime Minister Question Session where he would appear before the Senate regularly for unscripted exchanges. I have long advocated such a tradition in the United States and it was the subject of a NPR story.
It is interesting that McCain would propose such a change. Some of us have advocated the change due in part to the alleged incapacity of Ronald Reagan from age. McCain is brilliant in promising that he would not hide behind aides, but would guarantee total transparency in his abilities and views. There is no evidence that McCain is diminished in any respect and his mother has shown how old age does not always reduce one’s mental capacities or cognitive abilities.
Under the English system, the Prime Minister meets for a half of an hour every Wednesday. It is not entirely unscripted. The questions alternate between the parties and the first question is always the same and the answer is basically the same. The first formal question is raised as “Number One, Mr Speaker” and asks for his schedule that day. The Prime Minister replies:
“This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I will have further such meetings later today.”
The backbenchers can ask questions by submitting their names on the Order Paper, which are placed in random order to be called upon by the Speaker of the House of Commons. MPs can also seek to be recognized by “catching the eye” of the Speaker by standing and sitting immediately before the Prime Minister gives an answer.
McCain is notably not proposing the use of the House of Representatives as the closest American body to the House of Commons. That would appear a bit too lively and unpredictable. Nevertheless, it would be a welcomed reform.
My interest in the session was sparked during the final Reagan term when it was widely believed that Reagan had greatly diminished capabilities. Indeed, some believe that Reagan was incompetent on occasions. The 25th amendment deals with such allegations of presidential disability poorly. Reagan’s aides were able to shield him from public view, even turning off the lights in the Oval Office when he began to gap during interviews.
In the absence of an amendment to the Constitution on disability and removal, this is one change that would offer some protection for the public by exposing any diminished capacity. Notably both Justices Thurgood Marshall and William Brennan were shown to be highly diminished through public appearances — triggering calls for their resignations.
George Bush also has shown added reasons for the tradition. His notorious appointment of enablers and sycophants proved to be one of the contributors to the abuses and scandals of his administration. While these sessions would not have likely changed his mind, theywould have forced him to hear dissenting voices. They would guarantee that, at a minimum, he would be forced to deal with questions that were clearly not being asked in the White House. Moreover, with his Administration refused a wide range of documents and information to the legislative branch, it would give Congress a direct avenue to raise such questions and objections.
Finally, as I noted in the NPR interview above, these sessions tend to cut against the notion of an imperil presidency. Prime Ministers are reminded every Wednesday at noon that they are not royals and must be prepared to deal with citizens and their questions.
Tony Blair was obviously the master of such sessions. For the U.S., it would be a great advantage to simply force our presidents out of their controlled environments and off script for one day a week.
rafflaw,
No debates. Just a forum. The candidates must answer questions for 1 hour at a time. Each candidate should be given the full one hour. But definitely, they can’t decide who’s asking the questions and I hope they don’t know the questions in advance. There could be several forums and they could flip a coin on the first one to see who gets the first hour, then the next forum the other would start, etc.
The first citizen powerball forums ever! Everyone loves a lotto. I still remember being in NJ (the garbage, oops I mean garden) state, and seeing the powerballs numbers drawn on the local NPR station. I was knocked out with glee!!!
If we must have debates I would like to see the thrid party candidates included. And that would be nice in the forum as well.
Everyone saw what kind of person Bush Jr. was after 2003, but he got re-elected in 2004. Just as McCain’s buddy Black and Fox, CNN and the New Yorker know all to well, Bush could have easily arranged some sort of “attack” on America in 2007 or 2008, gave every American another $500 stimulus check and it would be nowhere near 46% to 43% as it is now between Obama and McCain.
I’m still not convinced that the Government wasn’t aware of 11-SEP-01 just as they were aware of 07-DEC-41 and let it happen any way (or in the case of the former, were complicit).
I think we have the basics for a planned debate between the candidates. It is a little like the youtube debate that was done earlier in the primary campaign, but we would have to make sure that it is not the campaigns deciding who is there to ask the questions.
…or ignominy…but nobody’s bottoming this adminstration in that dept.!
But I agree with the person who said we should know if the candidate refuses to answer tough questions BEFORE he’s elected, not afterward.
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I like that idea Susan!!! I don’t see why we couldn’t do a version of “powerball questions” along the lines rafflaw proposed. Why not let citizens submit questions, put them in the hopper, hold a national T.V. drawing from winners, and let the winners each have 15 mins. to get their questions answered to their satisfaction. If a candidate can’t give a coherent answer in 15 mins. that would say a lot. Plus it gives a lot of people their 15 mins. of fame!
I would enthusiastically support this kind of question-and-answer sessions, not just for presidents in office, but those running for President as well. I’m not at all sure that Sen. McCain would handle himself well in such an unscripted environment, though. But I agree with the person who said we should know if the candidate refuses to answer tough questions BEFORE he’s elected, not afterward.
rcampbell,
You are right that a President should have to go through a pressure cooker question and answer scenario. The press conferences are a joke and rarely get at the real issues.
Zakimar,
I agree with Jill that Bush has not “won” an election yet. I also don’t agree that he would win if he was allowed to run again. The poll numbers are evidence that Americans of all stripes are fed up with his act. And with Rove looking more and more like he is looking at jail time on one of a number of possible offenses, he wouldn’t have his “brain” with him in that reelection.
Hi rcampbell,
Another garden spot, Toledo! Plenty of cheating in your area as well.
Jill
rafflaw
“someone like Bush would just not answer and storm out of the session…”. I quite agree that’s what would have happened if GWB had to endure such a session, but wouldn’t that be precisely what should be exposed? If a President cannot handle him/herself in these seesions to intelligently justify and support their own policy decisions the citizens should know it.
Jill
I know it’s way off topic, but I grew up in the garden spot of Ohio–Youngstown. You?
zakimar,
I agree with some of what you said but I have to say, Bush has never won an election. The supreme court chose him for America the first time, with the votes clearly showing a Gore win (and that doesn’t count all the cheating going on). I live in Ohio and I can assure you that Bush did not win in 04 either. The level of voting machine fraud and pre-election machination was unbelievable.
PS. And the American people are watching and swallowing it again. 13% think the country is headed in the right direction and everyone knows McCain is a Bush clone yet there is less than a 5% difference between Obama and McCain. If Bush was allowed to run for a third, fourth and fifth term, he’d win as would have Reagan. The debt would be $25 000 000 000 000 but everyone would still be getting their $500 stimulus checks for beer or crack or whatever is convincing Americans to vote for these guys.
It is obvious democracy should only be left to counties with intelligent or at least educated populations. The US would be so much better off with Hussein running it.
The politicians and press have learned nothing since Bush Sr. lied about the first attack on Iraq. Remember the 100% accuracy of the Patriot missiles and the babies being thrown to the ground so that incubators could be stolen? The same monkeys that covered Iraq Attack 1 and 2 are still employed and giving similar coverage to pre-Iran Attack 1. Dan Rather and Phil Donahue were fired and clowns like Billo, Rush, Krystal and Hannity – who were all completely wrong about Iraq Attack are still employed and making around $50 000 000 per year. Murdoch promised $20 per barrel oil.
Blair was lying throughout as is Brown now. The likes of liars like Blair and Wolfowitz were rewarded with medals and cushy jobs – Blair is the weasel guarding the henhouse. Good luck with “Question Period”.
Jill,
they would have to have a satellite dish on Bush’s head in order to feed him enough information to get through a “Citizen Interrogation” session.
P.S. rafflaw,
Remember that big triangle “receiver” on bush’s back? His whole outfit would have to be wired for reception so cheney could tell him how to answer correctly in the circumstances you propose!
And I do think no press should show up at this whitehouse. It gives a veneer of legitimacy to cheneybush’s lies.
rafflaw,
I think that is an excellent idea. There is way too much control over “public” events and “questions” by politicians. I would like both candidates to adopt the practice you outlined during their campaign. Debates are worthless. I would much rather see a hour given to each person and make them answer real questions!
Jill
Prof. Turley,
The British version which you can see on cspan is a delightful thing to watch. I would like to take it a step further and require that the President field uncensored and unrestricted questions from citizens chosen by the mayors of various cities throughout the country. I would also require that the citizen questioners will be allowed multiple follow-up questions to make sure that the President doesn’t just give a non-responsive answer the first time. I would also want this session to be televised for the world to see. Can you imagine how Bush would have handled a session like this?
It is an interesting point about press conferences. They have indeed become highly scripted and passive. The White House press corp have faced increasing criticism for its often docile approach to questions. I do not have high expectation of the Senate in this regard. The House would certainly be less predictable.
JT
Jill,
Your right that we don’t necessarily need the questions with the Prime Minister session, we do need a press that will ask the tough questions. I would generally agree that such a session would be interesting and useful, but someone like Bush would just not answer and storm out of the session.
I have to take exception to Prof. Turley’s suggestion that there is no evidence of McCain’s intellect being diminished. Just about every day that he opens his mouth, he says something different and stranger than he said the day before. One example is the recent claim that Obama wants us to “lose” the war to win an election. McCain and Bush have already done enough to lose the war against terror, plus for a Senator who prides himself on being reasonable, he basically is claiming Obama is guilty of treason. In some respect that is the normal neocon statement. Lie about your opponent and make people afraid of the person. But for McCain to suggest it of a presidential candidate, it smacks of desperation and/or of someone who is not able to handle the pressure. I think as the campaign progesses, you will see additional evidence that McCain isn’t sound of mind. I don’t like to say that, but sometimes the truth is painful to hear.
So instead of the Press Secretary lying to reporters, it would be the President lying to other politicians. It’ll never happen because that would force the President to be in Washington too often, instead of at a ranch, resort, vacation…
I often wished we had the British press interviewing our satrap in addition to “the satrap’s q & a”.
It didn’t stop Blair from going to war but it did bring out a lot more information than we had ready access to here.