Why I refuse to vote for a candidate who refuses to answer questions.

by: njnewsgrrl

Wed Jul 08, 2009 at 02:55:53 PM EDT

It's become an almost daily occurrence: Chris Christie won't answer questions from the media while on the campaign trail.

He's not the first. Incumbents refuse to participate in debates all the time. (See: Frank Lautenberg in the '08 primary; Scott Garrett every two years.) And these few examples unfortunately won't be the last.

Politically, I understand Christie's tactic, especially during the primary when a candidate must campaign to the "base." The candidate wants to try to avoid saying anything he or she will regret in the general election, where the center is crucial to victory. To prevent an "I voted for it before I voted against it" incident that will come back to haunt you later on, just shut up and stick to the stump speech. Makes sense.

Pragmatically, it's beyond stupid. And not just because a candidate who ignores the "evil media" will be hounded ad nauseum.

I refuse to vote for any candidate -- Democrat or Republican, liberal or centrist -- who refuses to answer reporters' questions. And so should you and every other voter who cares about his or her community, state and country. Here's why.

The media are not evil, no matter what Sarah Palin and her ilk will have us think. There's a reason why the press is the only industry protected in the Constitution. It's because a free press is a vital component in every democratic society.

Journalists help to hold elected officials accountable and to keep the voters informed of what their government is doing on their behalf. Journalists participate in the "job interview" process that is a political campaign. After all, candidates want us to vote for them -- hire them -- to do a job. And as the "bosses" the voters need essential information before casting ballots. Journalists provide that information to them.

I know a lot of people like to criticize the "mainstream media", "old media" or whatever you want to call it. And I realize that I am defensive about the media because I began my career as a newspaper reporter and will always have a Pollyanna, "All The President's Men"-type vision of newspapers and the role journalists play in this country.

That said, in ignoring the press and refusing to answer questions, a candidate for public office simultaneously ignores the voters and dishonors the essential role the Founding Fathers envisioned for the press in our democratic society. This candidate is a man or woman who, if elected, will swear to uphold the Constitution and the laws of our country and state. In refusing to answer a reporter's questions, that same candidate shows disdain for the voters -- the very same voters from whom he or she is seeking support.

If a candidate wants to be hired by the voters to do a job, it seems to me that candidate ought to act as if he or she really wants that job. That means participating in debates, sitting for interviews and answering questions from reporters. Any candidate who refuses to do so will not get my vote. And they shouldn't get yours, either.