Presidential debates

American citizen voters deserve to see all the candidates’ cards face up on the table before voting starts for our president. American citizens want more than glossy ads; scripted read speeches; few, if any, open-question press conferences; constrained interviews; and pre-scripted or controlled one-way public contact with voters.

Given the policy and procedure (regulation) differences between the political parties and independents for November’s presidential election, to fully vet each candidate who qualifies to be on the presidential ballot in a majority of states, debate is an absolute imperative and nonnegotiable.

There should be a minimum of three, two-hour-plus prime time national presidential candidate debates. Additionally the nature and breadth of the issues on the table for the “leader of the free world” to govern and solve, are all at a crisis stage inclusive of national security to include China, Russia, Iran, terrorists and North Korea; the economy, inflation, prices and interest rates; energy policy to include gas prices, and fossil fuel and electric vehicles; illegal immigration and open borders; narcotics i.e., fentanyl; U.S. infrastructure; and increased crime, law enforcement funding, and lax prosecutor and court bail enforcement.

Voters deserve to know what each candidate’s track record and current policy positions are, what he or she will accomplish in his or her four years across all these major policy issues and what leadership principles he or she brings to governing the USA.

No debates would be flat wrong for all qualified voting Americas. It is a must-do for 2024.

— John R. Baer, Yorktown