LONG RESPONSE ESSAY Directions: Choose one of the following questions to write a one page essay that responds to the question and uses evidence (quotes, statistics, examples, anecdotes and information) to support your position. 1. What issue is most important to you and how would you rate each candidate’s position on that issue? As a result of hearing about the candidates’ position on this issue, for whom would you vote and why? The issue on climate change because Joe Biden wants to get rid of many jobs that exasperate climate change at the cost of many American jobs. Whereas, Trump cares much more of the jobs and much less about climate change. These two arguments are equally as important and this is where much of the controversy erupts that causes many Americans to find themselves on either side of this dichotomy. 2. Do you think the debate questions, moderators and candidates were fair and made the best use of the time spent? No, it was very incoherent, unprofessional and had lots of interrupting which made it very difficult for them to get their ideas across effectively. The moderator also seemed to be against Trump. 3. If you could ask a question of the candidates (that wasn’t asked) what would the question be and based on your knowledge of the candidates, how do you think they might respond? I would ask on their stance on China and what they see being our future relationship with them. Should we view China as a threat due to what an economic superpower they've become. I would mention that China within a decade will be equal to the size of the US economy and by 2050 they will have become twice the size. Trump will most likely respond by taking our jobs back from China, curing the trade deficit, creating more manufacturing jobs and cutting taxes. Joe Biden will likely respond by allowing China to lead the world and US will no longer be the world leader. 4. Did the debate make you feel hopeful or fearful about the future of our country? Please explain. Fearful, because it seems like no one has any clear solution to any problem proposed and both candidates showed how incompetent they are to run this country.. 5. Overall, what did you think about the format of the debate and the questions that were asked? I think the 2 minutes that they give candidates to answer complex questions is inarticulate and should be modified in order to deter interrupting in many segments of the debate. 6. What would you change about the debate structure and process in order to improve it? I would let them flesh out their responses to their full extent with without time constraints. 7. Who sponsored the debate and did that affect which candidates were included or excluded from participating in the debate? Please explain. Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), no I did not notice any imbalance or unfairness. 8. Do you think the debate focused more on personality and character than on substantive issues and topics? In what ways is this positive and negative? No, I think the debate orbited substantive issues, although the candidates kept taking it to more personal issues. © 2015 Anti-Defamation League 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 www.adl.org education@adl.org