At the Freedom Partners forum in California on Sunday, ABC News reporter Jon Karl dusted off a familiar question for potential GOP presidential contenders Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul: "Would you accept a deal that included … $10 in spending cuts for every $1 in tax increases?"
It’s a stupid question, and the prospective candidates did a fair enough job explaining why that's so without looking ridiculous, which is precisely how the question is designed to make them look. It would be nice if Democrats got asked questions like this more often.
It also got us thinking. What are some other questions of the "10-to-1" variety that reporters can ask GOP candidates? Except these questions would not only be fair and straightforward, they would also allow for a genuine yes or no response. The true conservatives in the race would be able to distinguish themselves with their answers.
1. Would you accept a deal that included 10 additional Republican seats in Congress in exchange for every additional year added on to President Obama’s second term?
2. Would you accept a deal that included ten M1 Abrams tanks for every one Chevy Volt?
3. Would you accept a deal under which you would give up 10 privilege points in exchange for one unit of Social Responsibility and Acceptance (SRA)?
4. Would you accept a deal that included a 10 percent increase in the amount of goals scored in soccer in exchange for a one percent increase in the amount of soccer coverage on U.S. television?
5. Would you accept a deal under which you would instantly age 10 years, but gain one percent of the worldly wisdom of Hillary Clinton?
6. Would you accept a deal that included ten dead ISIS terrorists for every one waterboarded terrorist?
7. Would you accept a deal that included a 10 percent increase in global temperatures in exchange for an additional week of Spring Break?
8. Would you accept a deal under which Joe Biden would become president for 10 years in exchange for a nightly one-hour reality show documenting his life?
9. Would you accept a deal under which gasoline taxes would be raised $10 per gallon in exchange for a 100-year ban on cycling?
10. Would you accept a deal that included a 10 percent reduction in your personal income for every one year Hillary Clinton would be forced to live on the U.S. median income?