The Democratic presidential candidates have vigorously criticized President Trump for his imposition of tariffs on China, arguing that they have unfairly hurt farmers, producers, and cost jobs. And yet, when asked specifically during the September 10 debate whether they would lift them “on day one,” they all ducked or said no. Specifically, Mayor Buttigieg said he would have “a strategy that includes the tariffs as leverage.” Why is free trade so hard to support? Let’s try to be fact-based and rational.

A common refrain of some of the presidential candidates is that the wealthy do not pay “their fair share” of taxes. While it is pretty clear that this means the wealthy should pay “more,” what isn’t clear is how much more would be considered “fair.” What is also not clear is whether the use of the word “fair” is in fact fair. Let’s try to be fact-based, rational, and fair.

What in fact does this question even mean? Is the “winner” the candidate who scores the most memorable “debate” points, who is quickest on their feet, or who creates the most repeatable sound bites? All of this would make for good television if the debates were a sporting event. But they aren’t. We should ask for more. Let’s try to be fact-based and rational.

Observations about the growing level of political polarization are frequent. Democratic candidates blame Trump for fueling the fire and pledge to unite the country. Others observe the growing divide between “red and blue states,” and the divisions over Supreme Court nominees, budget proposals, and the interpretation of the Mueller Report. Our own frustration with the absence of compromise in Washington is a significant motivation of OurFutureAmerica. But is it all true? Were there really ever any ”good old days” when Congress and the executive branch got along? Let’s try to be fact-based and rational.

Put on the defensive by Bernie Sanders, who is a self-described socialist (albeit not in the true definition of the word), Democratic candidates for president have been asked to take a side. Are you a socialist or a capitalist? So far, they all profess to be capitalists. Their rhetoric, however, would suggest they don’t always understand what this means. Just recently, Joe Biden criticized companies for not paying their employees a living wage while buying back stock. In her autobiography, Kamala Harris attributes the decline in middle-class wages to corporate greed. Elizabeth Warren’s invective against Wall Street is legendary. How can they be both against it and for it? Perhaps we can help them to reconcile their inconsistency. Let’s try to be fact-based and rational.

During a recent CNN Town Hall, Anderson Cooper asked Pete Buttigieg why he had no policies on his website. It was a fair question. Sadly, it is a fair question for most of the current candidates for president as well. Is it too much to ask those who want be be our leader to be clear about where they stand on the issues and have the courage to lead? We don’t think so. Let’s try to be fact-based and rational and see what we find.