How do you frame a question?

Posted on January 6th, 2008 by ecthompson md

Let me ask you the same question 2 different ways -

  • Has the surge worked?
  • Has the surge failed?

If you are hosting a Democratic debate which is the better question? If you want the democrats to look bad, frame the question so that they have to answer in the negative. If you want the Democrats to look good, then frame the question so that they answer in the positive.

Charles Gibson framed the question in the negative. He knew how each of the Democrats were going to answer the question. Therefore, I fault him for serving up a terrible question which he continues to push the Republican agenda even though Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson do a very good job at answering the question. His follow up question is torn right from the NeoCon play book, “Parliament meets, an oil law is under consideration, DeBaathication has progressed to some extend; and were it not for the surge instead of counting votes we would be counting body bags.” (rough transcript) Really???? That’s his follow up question. Obama does a great job not throwing up on his desk. Edwards also does a very good job at specifically focusing on what he is going to do.

Gibson should be transferred to the Fox News Channel instantly. An Oil law is under consideration? There has been an oil law under consideration for the last 4 years. No side has given up an inch of ground on this issue. Oil is power in Iraq. The Kurds, the Sunnis and the Shiites know it. No one is willing to give up squat and Charles Gibson knows this yet he serves it up like they are on the brink of some type of breakthrough.

All 4 candidates do a good job with this question or series of partisan questions.

NH debate - The Surge [ 8:08 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Election 2008 // 2 Comments »

  • medicale

    Sorry: comment appeared in the wrong story; i’ll copy and paste here, as intended:
    medicale Says:
    January 6th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
    Has the surge worked?
    Has the surge failed?

    Semantic manipulation. Leading question, such as “You aren’t unpatritotic are you?”

    Like a sinking boat…where the captain is scooping one cupful of water out at a time, but still insists his actions are “working”.

    To answer the questions: No. Yes.

    Idea: let’s go to war with another country – surely there are others out there who need their asses kicked

    Utter, utter woo

  • margaret

    Iran is still in the picture. Cheney hasn’t had his head out since the break on the Nuclear program being stopped. But with the Iranian navy playing chicken today. I can still see us striking Iran before the end of the year. Then the question to the republican candidates would have to be “So where do we get the men to fight the Iranians?” Will the Iraqis be able to hold their country together since their government has made SOOO MUCH progress. I still think Bush and Cheney are going to do something else stupid if the Democrats win in November. They will have until January to strike Iran and start WWIII. And then leave an even worse mess. The both of them will just sit back and laugh at whomever gets elected. Just plotting for 2012 to make a huge comeback. That is only if any of us are still alive.

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