Hassell quoted in two political stories

Cornell College politics professor Hans Hassell was quoted in two stories published on TheStreet.com about the Democratic primary debates.

In a preview of the Nov. 14 Democratic debate, Hassell explained that, if elected, candidates usually follow the policies they outline during debates.

The reason to watch the debate is to try to understand what policies individuals will implement. We often think of debates as this horse race, but really, they’re much more important for understanding what people will do once in office.

In a piece that examined the Democrats’ decision to hold fewer primary debates and schedule them when there will likely be fewer viewers, Hassell noted that political scientists are divided about whether competitive primaries are helpful or harmful.

“Political scientists are kind of divided on whether divisive and competitive primaries are helpful to candidates. One line of thought says that they’re harmful, and this might not be helpful to Clinton, because competitive primaries bring out negative mudslinging, and you end up with a nominee who is politically damaged,” said Hans Hassell, assistant professor of politics at Cornell College. “The other line of thought is that competitive primaries are helpful, because it drives more media attention, it drives more media coverage. People are more familiar with the candidates.”