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A Tip to Demo Debaters: Make America’s National Health (and Trumpnesia) Your Battle Cry
What would you give to always have a perfect and memorable rejoinder for every question? If you’re a politician, I’m guessing a lot. The truth is that being able to answer or reply to questions or comments with wit, savvy, verve, and a measured sophistication is an admirable art that speaks, if sometimes imperfectly, to our intelligence. Woe to the presidential aspirant who fails this basic test during a political debate or an interview. And double woe to she or he who can’t create a memorable concept or sparkling phrase that lights up the electorate and ensures days of positive, quotable, and viral coverage.
With the Democratic presidential debates about to flood our summer and fall programming, I tried my hand not at rejoinder, but at a statement that seeds the electoral ground with phrases and concepts that can easily become rejoinders later in the campaign. It’s a swing- for-the-fences, risky speech that most candidates would abjure. But with so many candidates competing for attention, this is one potential roadmap to distinction. At the close of the statement I explain the logic behind my choices. Skip to the end if you want to read ahead — and spoil the fun — or better yet, test yourself as you read along.
