How to Ask Questions of Political Candidates

Political candidates love to meet and greet voters face to face, and it's a great opportunity for voters to ask the candidates how they stand on a specific issue. But some candidates are very good at telling the individual voter what they want to hear, rather than what the candidates actual opinion is, and therefore how they are likely to vote on the issue.

For example, when a voter asks a candidate, "What about supporting the Second Amendment?" the candidate knows that he has to give some sort of pro-gun rights answer to that voter to increase the chance of that person voting for him .

Likewise, when another voter who asks the same candidate, "Why can't we just ban handguns?" that same candidate knows that depending on his real opinion on that issue, he can either open up to that voter and wholeheartedly agree with them, or at least soften his stance on the issue in order to appease them.

Matchsticks under the fingernails may be one way to get a truthful answer from a candidate, but there is a better way. And it's all about how the question is asked: "What about guns?" gives no indication how the person asking the question feels about the issue. Therefore, the candidate cannot fabricate an answer, he might as well say how he really feels and risk giving an answer that the voter disagrees with.

This approach can work with any candidate on just about any issue. Try it and watch them squirm as they try to figure out an appropriate answer. It's fun, and often very interesting.