The forum sponsors Alabama Policy Institute and Samford University should have the ability and resources for conducting a respectable candidate forum.
The sponsors and question submitters should consider the candidates' websites as a starting point of reference for asking "good" questions. For Strange, see http://www.lutherstrange.com/on_the_issues. For Moore, see https://www.roymoore.org/Positions/.
Ballotpedia United States Senate special election in Alabama (September 26, 2017 Republican primary runoff) may also be a useful reference.
The forum sponsors should give thoughtful consideration to what they think are "important" questions that should be put to the candidates.
There are probably numerous "important" questions that Strange and Moore will evade answering in a decent fashion.
The sponsors, the AL news media and others should press hard on the candidates to answer important questions that the candidates probably want to avoid answering.
The sponsors should critique in advance questions that are asked on #askAL, and should lay out for comment by people questions the sponsors propose to ask the candidates.
The following questions are put forth as "important" and "meaningful" and deserving of putting to, and getting answers from, Strange and Moore. It is likely they will be evasive in giving "decent" answers.
1. Draining the Swamp
Central in the 2016 Presidential election were allegations made by both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump about a broken government, a rigged political system, and corruption. Candidate Trump made a hard sell at the end of his campaign that he would drain the swamp. Seven months on in the Trump Presidency there are significant developments to evaluate regarding Trump's promise to drain the Swamp. Luther Strange has made "draining the Swamp" a centerpiece of his campaign. Moore has called out McConnell and Strange as being part of the Swamp.
In my opinion, draining the Swamp has been palaver in the mouths of the candidates.
The sponsors should evaluate what was said and promised in the 2016 Presidential election about the Swamp, what has transpired in the Trump Presidency bearing on the Swamp, and what Strange and Moore are saying on the Swamp issue. The sponsors should decide what Strange and Moore should be pressed on about the Swamp.
For starters, it is suggested that Strange and Moore be required to set forth their definitions of the Swamp. See Defining the Swamp.
2. The question of Trump
Strange and Moore are adhering to ardent support for Trump, and they appear to refuse to express anything negative about Trump.
Trump's negatives in the minds of many are becoming huge and undeniable. Leaders in the country who want Trump to be successful and who wish not for Trump's negatives to undermine his Presidency are deciding that they cannot be silent or give false testimony about the negatives. For example, regarding Charlottesville and America's values, Rex Tillerson expressed his own views about American values and, as to what Trump's views of America's values were, Tillerson could only say that the President speaks for himself.
An important question to be put to Strange and Moore would seem to be this: In asking Alabamians to vote for you, do you think there are any negatives regarding Trump which you believe you need to be honest to Alabamians about? Possible answers here could be (i) there are no significant negatives of Donald Trump, and his positives far outweigh any negatives: (ii) Alabamians can make up their own minds about Donald Trump's negatives and don't need any opinion about his negatives from me as candidate running for United States Senator from Alabama; and (iii) Donald Trump has significant negatives, and here is what I, as candidate running for United States Senator from Alabama, think they are.
The above seems an important question that should be put to Strange and Moore and that they should answer.
I urge the forum sponsors to consider whether the above question should be put to the candidates in the fourm.
3. Abortion
Why is it intolerable for you to live in a society in which others can choose to have an abortion?
Below is email interchange with Sam McClure, candidate for Attorney General.
This woman killed babies on Friday in Montgomery. Can anyone publicly defend why she should not be prosecuted for murder? #alpolitics https://t.co/q0TZZGTWUy— Sam McLure for AG (@SJMcLure) September 2, 2017
Would you or Doug Jones be willing to have an open forum on the subject? #alpolitics— Sam McLure for AG (@SJMcLure) September 2, 2017
First, is my phrasing of abortion question in https://t.co/LEpxGqRft5 acceptable to you? #askal #alsen #alpolitics #dougjonesforsenate— Rob Shattuck (@RobShattuckAL06) September 3, 2017
If not, what phrasing of abortion question do you propose? https://t.co/LEpxGqRft5 #askal #alsen #alpolitics #dougjonesforsenate— Rob Shattuck (@RobShattuckAL06) September 3, 2017
4. Immigration
Do you think the country needs for Congress to agree on and pass immigration law legislation that addresses and seeks to resolve for the country the various areas of contention? If so, what is your explanation for why Congress has failed to do that, and what would you do to try to achieve the result of Congress agreeing on and passing immigration law legislation?
[to be continued]
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