The ostensive purpose of the presidential debates is to allow the American people to understand the policy positions and personalities of the two potential candidates for president.

In terms of the personalities, it is likely voters have seen more than enough of candidates Clinton and Trump over the past year to be able to draw conclusions about the character and temperament of each.

Unfortunately, because, all too often, the debates were hinged upon personal attacks, voters did not get a fair chance to understand where the candidates differ on some of the important issues facing America:

Jobs

Both Trump and Clinton promise good jobs for Americans. Clinton, through infrastructure improvements, Trump, through economic growth by lower taxes. But neither address perhaps the most basic issue and challenge to the creation of U.S. jobs. In spite of the numerous claims that our treaties have taken too many good American jobs, technology steals more U.S. jobs. U.S. manufacturing is at its highest level ever today.

The problem is that technological advances through automation have created fewer jobs than ever before. In the auto industry, nearly 500,000 jobs have been added since the great recession, but total automobile manufacturing jobs remain 9 percent below the 2004 peak of 1 million.

The trend of higher production, more automation, and fewer workers continues to guide the future of that industry.

Looking ahead, with the projected driverless vehicle revolution, over 3.5 million trucking jobs could be lost to automation. Fast food jobs may be lost to automation. The issue the candidates both ignore is, in the face of technology and automation, where will new American jobs be found?

Perhaps the innovation of 3D manufacturing will create mini-manufacturing modules, or small scale innovative practices will demonstrate manufacturing flexibility as yet unknown to meet rapidly changing production needs.

It would be important for our candidates to share their ideas for matching the wave of change with American jobs.

That has not happened in this campaign.

Climate Change

Climate change is not fiction and its impact can be both devastating and innovative. Farm crop yield in the U.S. is 262 percent better than in 1960, providing hope that, even with climate challenges, we may be able to continue to successfully feed Americans with fewer and fewer farms and farmers. Innovative watering and fertilizing methods are contributing to higher productivity as well.

But climate change can also invite scaled innovation in wind, water, solar and nuclear energy, making more efficient, renewable energy to replace depleting, polluting, fossil fuels.

The candidates did not demonstrate their awareness of the critical response required to protect our environment.

Just as the EPA’s creation once saved us from life threatening pollution, now we need to transition to saving the planet for people.

Debt and Deficit

Neither candidate has constructed a budget approach that ends deficits or reduces the debt of the U.S. The silence of this topic poses an inflationary risk to every American and threatens our ability to provide for the future needs of the nation.

Whether insuring Social Security, Medicare or affordable college without debt, our goals for a better, stronger country will be impeded if we do not address the importance of responsible fiscal policy.

Voting Rights

Some Americans still face challenges to their right to vote in America, and that should never be an American problem. As the poster child for the power of the vote, America must once again move to the forefront in access to the ballot box. As a nation, we should embrace ensuring every citizen is registered to vote at the age of 18 and that voting should be available online, by mail, in advance and at the polls on Election Day. The more Americans who participate in the democratic process, the stronger we are.

At times it seemed almost accidental that the candidates got around to discuss important issues. In large part, they failed us in the presidential debates of 2016.

 

Jim Crawford is a retired educator and political enthusiast living here in the Tri-State.