The Take-Home Debate

CALIFORNIA AND RECALL suffer from Isabel envy. While the East coast's hurricane follows a steady course, the big political storm out West remains stalled over the Golden State. It may reach land sometime today, when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to announce whether it will reconsider the recall delay it imposed earlier this week. After that, storm may veer east with an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

So what do the major recall candidates have planned this week? Riding out the storm and preparing for Wednesday night's debate in Sacramento, which will be something of a showdown moment--it's the first debate to be graced by the presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Reporters can never resist having a debate over debates and Wednesday night's affair, sponsored by the California Broadcasters Association, has struck a nerve with them. That's because the event has broken within tradition by giving the candidates, a week in advance, a dozen debate questions that might get asked. It's an idea first suggested by Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub, who borrowed it from Jay Rosen, a New York University journalism professor and press critic.

Here's CBA president Stan Statham's rationale for the shakeup: "In typical debate formats, detailed answers are rare. Candidates are allowed a very short period of time to respond to a 'surprise' question. Our format features an open-ended, unpredictable conversational exchange between five candidates that will disclose much more than their proposed policies--it will reveal a great deal about their character and personality as well. That is something missing in debates--and what the voters say they most want to see."

The recall media's reaction has been part suspicion--that it's too much of a boost to a neophyte like Arnold, who thus far has avoided two traditional debates (more on him in a moment) and part incredulity--that it's not honest journalism if you tip off candidates in advance (which is a joke: any campaign worth its salt can anticipate debate topics). Maybe what journalists fear most is getting bypassed.

Here are the 12 questions--some of which will be posed to the candidates (Schwarzenegger, Cruz Bustamante, Tom McClintock, Peter Camejo, and Arianna Huffington):

(1) How would you propose enhancing revenue and/or what specific cuts would you propose to achieve a balanced budget?

(2) Leaders in the business community are convinced that this state is losing jobs and unable to attract new businesses. If you agree, what are two things you would change to make this a more business-friendly state? If you disagree, what are the misconceptions you would like to correct?

(3) How are you going to insure that all Californians have adequate healthcare?

(4) Everybody talks about wanting a colorblind society but what does that actually mean to you? In other words, how do we know when we have succeeded?

(5) What should be the top priority for California right now?

(6) If elected governor, will you support the expansion of charter schools in California?

(7) What do you expect to accomplish in the time remaining on Gray Davis's term that he could not?

(8) What is the single most important piece of legislation either signed or vetoed during this past legislative session?

(9) Do you support reducing the Vehicle License Fee (car tax), and if so, where would you find the revenue to replace the loss to the budget?

(10) What services will your administration expect local governments to provide and what stable source of revenue will you give them to do it?

(11) Under governors Pat Brown and Ronald Reagan, California spent up to 20 percent of its General Fund on infrastructure--such as roads, bridges, colleges, hospitals, and water systems. Now we spend closer to 1 percent. Proposition 53 on the ballot raises that figure to 3 percent. What are your positions on Prop. 53 and what will you do to invest more in California's aging infrastructure?

(12) As our population continues to age, the demand for government services to seniors will increase dramatically during the next decade. What do you intend to do to proactively manage this demand?

AS WITH MOST EVERYTHING in recall, this new format puts even more focus--and pressure--on Arnold. It's his only debate and if he stumbles, then it fuels speculation that politically he's not ready for prime time. And it brings into question his strategy of doing just this one encounter with his rivals. Rather than participate in Wednesday's debate sponsored by the Los Angeles Press Club (attended by the four candidates he'll see Wednesday night), Schwarzenegger started his day by talking to radio shock jock Howard Stern and then later stopped by "Larry King Live" (just for good measure, that interview took place across the street from the recall debate).