THE WEEK

But can she type?

No doubt about it, the Democrats would like to have a series of debates this fall between Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan, usually dressing up the idea by referring to the Lincoln-Douglas precedent. The reason is not the high-minded one of exploring the “issues” but the come-from-behind hope that Reagan can somehow be lured into a gaffe that could be turned to their advantage. Indeed, something does turn up in these debates from time to time, as when Gerald Ford in 1976 declared Poland not a Soviet satellite, or when Jimmy Carter in 1980 referred to the nuclear wisdom of his daughter, Amy. Still, it is not even conceivable that the voters do not know what the issues are between Reagan and Mondale. Everyone knows that Democrats want to raise welfare spending and taxes and cut defense spending, that Democrats are sometimes in uncritical epistolary and even kissing contact with Communist dictators abroad, that Democrats favor abortion on demand while Reagan would like to restrict it, that Reagan is for school prayer and Democrats against, that Reagan wants to build a defense against ICBMs while Democrats don’t. Any voter who doesn’t know all this has surely had a lobotomy. Nevertheless, there probably should be a debate, or maybe two, for ceremonial and traditional reasons, and because you are less likely to say that your opponent is a bad Christian if you know that you are going to have to look him in the eye.

But can she type?

No doubt about it, the Democrats would like to have a series of debates this fall between Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan, usually dressing up the idea by referring to the Lincoln-Douglas precedent. The reason is not the high-minded one of exploring the “issues” but the come-from-behind hope that Reagan can somehow be lured into a gaffe that could be turned to their advantage. Indeed, something does turn up in these debates from time to time, as when Gerald Ford in 1976 declared Poland not a Soviet satellite, or when Jimmy Carter in 1980 referred to the nuclear wisdom of his daughter, Amy. Still, it is not even conceivable that the voters do not know what the issues are between Reagan and Mondale. Everyone knows that Democrats want to raise welfare spending and taxes and cut defense spending, that Democrats are sometimes in uncritical epistolary and even kissing contact with Communist dictators abroad, that Democrats favor abortion on demand while Reagan would like to restrict it, that Reagan is for school prayer and Democrats against, that Reagan wants to build a defense against ICBMs while Democrats don’t. Any voter who doesn’t know all this has surely had a lobotomy. Nevertheless, there probably should be a debate, or maybe two, for ceremonial and traditional reasons, and because you are less likely to say that your opponent is a bad Christian if you know that you are going to have to look him in the eye.