It’s easy to criticize politicians for not knowing enough. How could Sen. X not know that Amazonas is the largest of Brazil’s states? How could Gov. Y not know the exact wording of that gambling bill deemed inexpedient to legislate in 2014?
Remember the Bush Doctrine “gotcha” question and Sarah Palin’s cringe-inducing answer in 2008? It’s no wonder politicians (pity poor Marco Rubio) stick to the script even when it makes them sound like a pull-string toy. To paraphrase an old saw, “It’s better to say the same thing over and over again and be thought a fool than to pretend you know something you don’t and remove all doubt.”
Earlier this month, Gov. Maggie Hassan met with the Monitor’s editorial board (which she has done many times) to not only talk about state-specific matters but also to discuss foreign policy issues that will no doubt come up as her Senate race against Sen. Kelly Ayotte heats up. Among the questions we asked was whether she would be willing to share the names of some of the foreign policy experts who help guide her thinking. As reporter Allie Morris reported Monday, Hassan didn’t divulge the names at that moment, but she promised that someone from her staff would send a list, which they did. At this point in her campaign, Hassan relies on advice from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and former ambassadors Dick Swett (Denmark) and Jim Smith (Saudi Arabia).
They represent a fine triumvirate, but it’s a short list that needs to grow significantly as the first debate with Ayotte grows closer.
For the past five-plus years, Ayotte has been a star pupil at what could be described as the John McCain-Lindsey Graham School of Foreign Policy. While we may not always agree with their policy positions, McCain and Graham are undeniably well-versed in international affairs.
In fact, when Graham came to talk with Monitor editors as a presidential candidate in November, it was clear that he had a better grasp of America’s global challenges than perhaps anybody else in the race. It is safe to say that under the tutelage of Graham and McCain, Ayotte’s understanding of foreign policy has increased tremendously since her first day in Washington.
We are sure Hassan doesn’t need a reminder that foreign policy may well represent her greatest campaign challenge. We’re equally sure that she wouldn’t go out of her way to get campaign advice from journalists. But that said, Hassan does have a choice about how she talks with voters – and Ayotte – about international affairs. She can cram her brain full of trivia, memorize party talking points, pretend she knows more than she does or answer the question she wishes she was asked instead of the one she was (a popular technique in presidential debates). Or she could talk openly and honestly about what she knows and what she doesn’t.
When we met with Hassan this month, we asked her about tension in the South China Sea, for example, not as a “gotcha” question or to determine whether she reads the international section of the New York Times, but to get a sense of how she processes information. We were trying, as we do with all candidates, to gauge passion for the issues, intellectual curiosity and depth of overall knowledge. Our impression is, and has been, that Hassan prefers playing the political equivalent of the prevent defense. Her South China Sea answer, among others, reinforced that perception.
Hassan is obviously intelligent and more than capable of grasping any number of complex issues quickly – it’s a necessary skill for elected officials and especially governors – and Ayotte is a formidable intellectual opponent.
Voters deserve to see the real Ayotte and the real Hassan on foreign policy and all issues, for that matter. Talking points, vague party lines and memorized factoids won’t, and shouldn’t, cut it come November.