The current stage of the presidential campaign is like window-shopping, said Dan Balz, the chief correspondent for The Washington Post.

“The nominating process is the MRI of the soul,” he said. “It is the nature of running for president, that every feature of your life is public.”

Balz discussed the 2016 presidential campaign in front of a crowd of about 100 people in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium Tuesday night. He sat down for a question and answer session with Joel Kaplan, the associate dean for professional graduate studies and a professor of newspaper and online journalism, and answered questions from Syracuse University students.

Balz said voters start out in an election season with a certain set of assumptions, and very little is played out the way they expect. He said this is a reminder of how humbling the business of political reporting can be.

Balz said when it comes time for the polls, voters begin to evaluate candidates as people they could see in the Oval Office.

When asked about the controversy regarding presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s private email account, Balz said Clinton is very knowledgeable, but added that she has always had difficulty warming up to voters and vice versa.

This introduces the idea that the Clintons play by a different set of rules, as it is Clinton’s word against the media, Balz said. This idea is also true for Republican candidate Carly Fiorina. Balz said after it was revealed that the Planned Parenthood video Fiorina referred to in the GOP debate was fake, Fiorina’s validity as a candidate was questioned.

In addition, Balz was asked his thoughts on whether a socialist could ever win the presidency. He said for Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, the presidency is a reach because the United States is more centrist than extremely conservative or liberal. He added that to be called liberal is to be called a supporter of a big government, which has a negative reputation.

“There is a significantly larger group that calls themselves conservatives than liberals,” Balz said. “Individual programs within the liberal party are popular, but defenders of big governments are not.”

Balz also discussed presidential candidate Donald Trump, and said the reason Trump is leading in the polls is because he promises to get the job done, which appeals to frustrated voters.

The last portion of the discussion was focused on SU students asking questions.

An undergraduate student aspiring to become a political reporter asked Balz how to focus on the important issues of an election and cut through the noise.

“Elections belong to voters. Stay away from candidates and get a better understanding of voters,” Balz said. “Smart candidates do that and reporters should do the same.”

Beyond what has already happened in the election, Balz said to keep an eye out for how Clinton and Sanders engage in the Democratic Party presidential debate. There is still skepticism within the Democratic Party that the government is incapable of solving problems, Balz added.

When asked whether he planned on writing a book about the 2016 election, Balz said he’s thinking about it.

“Like Joe Biden, I haven’t said no,” he said, “but I haven’t been able to say yes.”

Published on September 29, 2015 at 11:45 pm

Contact Katherine: kfbisbee@syr.edu