“Don’t ask, don’t tell” seems to have taken on new meaning when it comes to the presidential debates. In the more than 500 questions that have been posed to the presidential candidates in both parties in five debates since late April, only two – yes that’s two – questions have related to the economy, jobs, manufacturing and/or international trade.

According to our friends at The Gallup Poll, the Economy (including jobs) ranks as the #3 top concern among voters, behind #1 Iraq and #2 National Security. So expecting the candidates to talk about these issues isn’t out of the question.

After the first debate on April 27 included no mention or discussion of manufacturing, jobs or the economy, ManufactureThis began calling on the candidates to tell us how they plan to address the immense challenges facing manufacturing; tell us how they plan to tackle the angst so many Americans are feeling about their economic security these days; and yes, tell us how they plan to take on the continuing challenge of holding China and other trading partners accountable when they don’t follow the rules and undercut American producers and workers.

In all, the candidates have talked about these issues for less than five minutes in the five debates. BUT the candidates can’t tell us anything, if they’re not asked about the issues – remember, one of the debate ground rules is to stick to the topic you’re asked about. And, only two questions out of more than 500 have been related to the economy.

We do know the candidates are talking about these issues on the stump. We’ve seen press coverage of it (for example click here and here). So, the candidates at least know that the economy, trade and jobs are a top concern for Americans.

And, MT isn’t the only one who’s noticing the absence of the economy in the debate discussions. In the past two days, both the Detroit News and the Atlanta Journal Constitution have made many of the same points MT has been making.

Please, please, please Tavis Smiley or Ruben Navarette or Michel Martin or DeWayne Wickman (who will all be questioning the Democratic candidates on June 28) ASK the candidates about the economy, jobs and trade, so they can TELL us what they plan to do about these issues.

Be sure to check out Scott’s latest posting on The Huffington Post, in which he urges the presidential candidates in both parties to use the debates as a chance to talk about how they will address the angst Americans have over jobs, the economy and the challenges facing American manufacturing.

If you believe The Gallup Poll, the Economy rates #3 behind Iraq (#1) and Terrorism and National Security (#2). In fact, Gallup points out that half of Americans still believe the economy is getting worse, not better.

Yet last night’s debate among the Democratic presidential hopefuls offered little for viewers and voters on the economy. While the debate did seem to be more spirited than previous ones, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer didn’t ask any of the candidates about the economy and the angst Americans have over job loss and economic security.

The New York Times

Healthcare, which rates #6, according to Gallup, merited its own questions, giving the candidates a chance to offer general overviews of their healthcare proposals. Yes, healthcare is an important issue, one that is severely undermining the economic security of families and employers across the country. So, yes, ManufactureThis was happy to see the discussion.

Immigration, #5 according to Gallup, also was had its time on the stage, with questions coming from Blitzer…again, an important issue that deserves discussion.

Energy, #4 on Gallup’s list, also drew questions from Blitzer, mainly related to gas prices. Energy is definitely an important issue that needs to be discussed and debated among the candidates, as is Iraq and National Security.

Was it an error on Blizter’s part that the economy wasn’t asked about? Did he inadvertently, in the heat of the moment, skip over #3? When it came to the issues most important to voters, according to our trusted friends at Gallup, Blitzer asked about #1, #2, #4, #5 and #6, but NOT #3.

Debate organizers made note of the fact that they relaxed the rules to allow more free-flowing discussion, rather than limiting the candidates to 30- and 60-second sound bites. MT, though, thinks it may be time to impose a rule on the moderators of all upcoming debates – equal time for the issues that are of most concern to voters.

With New Hampshire holding the top spot on the list of states that has lost the largest share of its jobs as a result of the trade deficit with China – a deficit that exists due in large part to China’s refusal to follow the rules it agreed to – Blitzer had every reason to put the candidates on the spot about the economy, jobs and trade. He didn’t and MT feels it was not just a missed opportunity, but a disservice to viewers and voters.

With more debates coming up in the next few days, ManufactureThis is continuing to call on presidential candidates in both parties to tell voters how they plan to address the challenges facing American manufacturers and workers. The two debates – Democrats on Sunday night and Republicans on Tuesday night — will take place in New Hampshire, which gives the candidates all the more reason to talk about manufacturing:

• New Hampshire has lost more than 27,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000.
• According to a recent study, New Hampshire has lost 13,000 jobs across all sectors just because of the U.S. trade deficit with China alone. That amounts to 2.1 percent of the state’s total employment (the highest percentage of any state) in 2001, when China entered the WTO.

Clearly, the loss of a vital manufacturing base is an issue in New Hampshire, as it is across the country. It’s time we start hearing from the candidates on these issues. American workers and producers deserve a vigorous discussion and need to know how the candidates plan to protect and strengthen American manufacturing.