The first Democratic primary debate takes place next Tuesday at a luxury hotel/casino in Las Vegas. Five white people (with an average age of 65) will attempt to make the case for why they should represent the "party of the future." If the questions are as tough as the ones posed by Fox News moderators during the first Republican debate in August, it might be worth watching. On the other hand, who wants to listen to Hillary Clinton talk for three hours?
Anyway, here are some suggestions for questions:
1. Would you support an Australia-style gun control regime that resulted in the confiscation of semi-automatic handguns from law-abiding citizens?
2. Which do you believe is a greater threat to America: ISIS or the NRA?
3. Do think the Democratic Party should sponsor more debates than are currently scheduled? Why or why not?
4. Russian fighter jets recently violated the airspace of Turkey, a NATO member. How should the United States respond to a potential military confrontation between the two countries?
5. Which country or actor do you believe is the biggest geopolitical threat to the United States?
6. Secretary Clinton, for the love of God, can you just tell us your position on the TPP trade agreement?
7. Secretary Clinton, you recently said you'd "take administrative action" to "end this epidemic of gun violence" if Congress refuses to act. President Obama has also expressed concern about the level of gun violence but argues that fixing the problem "is not something I can do by myself." The administration has already considered some of your proposals and found them unworkable. Who is right?
8. Secretary Clinton, you have repeatedly said that your exclusive use of a private email server to conduct government business as secretary of state was "allowed." However, the State Department's chief transparency officer said in testimony before Congress that this arrangement was "not acceptable." Who is right?
9. Secretary Clinton, who specifically within the Obama administration approved your decision to conduct State Department business over a private server? What is their name?
10. Secretary Clinton, you recently said on Meet the Press that you "did not participate" in the process of determining which of your emails were personal and which were work-related. A month earlier, you said: "Under the law, that decision is made by the official. I was the official. I made those decisions." Which is correct?
11. Secretary Clinton, why do you think Wall Street banks have given your campaign millions of dollars over the course of your political career, but have given practically no money to Bernie Sanders?
12. Show of hands: How many of you would accept a budget agreement consisting of 90 percent tax increases and 10 percent cuts to Social Security benefits?
13. All candidates: Do you believe corporate interests like Walmart support comprehensive immigration reform for altruistic reasons, or because greater access to cheap labor would increase their profits? Do you find this troubling in any way?
14. Which is a greater threat to American values: Radical Islam or Islamophobia?
15. What, if any, legal restrictions on abortion would you support?
16. Edward Snowden: Hero or traitor?
17. Apart from abortion and NSA surveillance, can you identify an area in which you think the government is too involved in people's lives?
18. There are five white people standing on this stage, four of whom are over the age of 60. The Republican field, by contrast, is considerably younger and more diverse. What does this say about the state of the two major parties in this country? Does this concern you?
19. Liberal expert Chris Hayes has compared the problem of climate change to that of slavery, and has suggested that solving the problem will cost upwards of $10 trillion. Do you agree with this assessment?
20. Secretary Clinton, polling shows that nearly two-thirds of voters don't think you are honest or trustworthy. In some instances, Donald Trump is seen as more honest and trustworthy. Do voters simply lack the intellectual capacity to see through the partisan propaganda, or is there some other reason why so many people don't trust you?