It is a fluff question in the same way as "Why do you want to be President?" is a fluff question. That simple question cost Ted Kennedy his 1980 presidential aspirations.
Ted Kennedy: The Day the Presidency Was Lost - ABC News
I would have been impressed with anyone who spoke about helping the working poor, or bridging the racial divide, or seeking a way to bring medical costs down in this country while prividing wider (even universal) healthcare. I'd have been impressed with an embrace of settled climate science and a path forward to begin combatting it before we are faced with catastrophe.
I'd have been impressed with a strategy that would end our dependence on foreign oil so that we can finally let the Middle East continue their ancient conflicts without U.S. intervention and loss of life. I would have liked to hear how they would approach the income disparity in this country and the shrinking of the middle class while the wealthiest among us continue to rake in money at the expense of the American worker. I'd have like to hear more than just a passing talking point about how "I will create jobs" and an explanation about how that is going to happen when corporations keep shipping the best paying jobs overseas to the lowest bidder. I would have liked to hear something about closing corporate loopholes that allow them to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. I would be impressed with a mention of closing "for profit" prisons and the urgency to fill them with non-violent offenders due to the war on drugs.
There are literally a hundred things that I would have been more impressed with than, "Build up the military so nobody will mess with the U.S.A., flex our muscle, and grab the mantle of leadership in the world (because the world is better when we are calling the shots)." Forget that that is one of the primary contributors to many of the problems that we face today beyond out borders. What I heard was the same old bullshit policies I've been hearing from republicans for the past three or four decades, repeated shamelessly in the face of a lifetime of evidence that they do not work. I might have been impressed by almost anything else they could have said to answer the question, "What would the country look like after your presidency?".
And before my conservative friends jump on me for expecting them to talk about "Democrat" issues at a Republican debate, let me point out that their lack of focus on these issues is why none of these candidates will be the president. They are simply not in touch with what is important to typical citizens of this country. Until these issue also become things that republicans care about, they will continue to lose national elections.
