The Pres & VP Debates: Do Travel Issues Matter?
by Wendy Perrin
Before the VP Debate last night I posed a question to the community of global travelers and political junkies I've found at the online water cooler known as Twitter : "If you were Gwen Ifill and could ask the VP candidates one travel-related question, what would it be?"
Chris Elliott replied: "I'd definitely ask Palin why she waited so long to get her passport."
Pam Mandel of Nerds Eye View replied: "I'd like to know what role she thinks the U.S. plays in the global economy."
Kim Mance of Galavanting replied: "I'd ask if she's never had the curiosity to experience another culture, what will be her approach in relating to world leaders?"
Kayt Sukel of TravelSavvyMom replied: "I'd ask if it is equally important to meet 'real' people in other countries too. Heck, there are even 'soccer' fields in most!"
Despite every effort to stay awake till the end of last night's debate, I -- alas -- succumbed to exhaustion somewhere around the time Palin kept avoiding Gwen's next question and going back to energy . . . but I'm going to assume that none of the above questions got asked.
I happen to believe that travel is the best way to educate oneself about the world and our place in it. Which is why I believe that how much a presidential or VP candidate has traveled, and what he or she has learned from those experiences, is critical. I'm also curious to know how the candidates would respond on a range of travel-related issues, from what to do about the airlines to the politicization of State Dept. travel advisories to the difficulties foreigners face trying to visit the U.S. to how we can all live sustainably together on this planet.
So here's my question for all of you: If you could ask Obama and McCain one travel-related question in the Town Hall debate on October 7, what would it be?
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Wendy: Thank you for always upping the ante and provoking meaningful dialogue. See you soon at the Villa/Travel Specialists Conference.
How do you feel your experiences with other cultures has shaped the person you are today and the President you intend to be? What do you feel is the relationship between travel and a multilingual citizenry to our national security interests and the education of our children?
Posted by: marasolomon | October 03, 2008 at 10:28 AM
AH&LA's first question would be on how quickly they plan to move on the Travel Promotion Act- foriegn funds are, and will continue to be, a huge stimulus for all sectors of the economy, in particular hotel and retail. No question this push is needed since overseas perception of the U.S. is so poor right now, and a push toward positivity is needed!
Posted by: jessicasoklow | October 03, 2008 at 05:34 PM
Funny, I've gotten a lot more responses to my question on Twitter than on this blog. Among them:
Kayt Sukel again, of TravelSavvyMom.com:
"Can you gain effective foreign policy experience without traveling abroad? And if so, how?"
Angela Berardino of Turner PR:
"'Why is there no national tourism board?' OTTI is a joke, travel has huge economic impact, & every other country does it."
Jason Moriber of elefant.tv wrote:
"Would you support a national grant providing the opportunity to college-level students to spend a summer in the country of their choosing?"
Pam Mandel of nerdseyeview.com came up with two more:
"How would you respond to the anti-U.S.-govt sentiment so prevalent in so many places?"
and
"Tourism to the U.S. is down and this works against citizen diplomacy. How would you reverse that trend?"
And here's one from me:
"More & more Americans are nixing foreign travel. Won't this work against us as a nation?"
Posted by: WendyPerrin | October 03, 2008 at 09:45 PM
Given the high cost of traveling by car and by plane, it seems like a stellar time to finally build a viable rail system in the US. Americans are significantly less likely to travel by train than in other countries, partly because so much of our country is underserved by rail. Our government does nothing to encourage train travel, despite its potentially significant environmental and economic benefits.
Do the candidates favor or oppose government subsidies for Amtrak? And if they oppose subsidies, how can they claim to want to find ways for Americans to kick our fuel addiction?
Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, editor of WeJustGotBack.com
Posted by: SuzanneKelleher | October 04, 2008 at 12:26 PM