Handling Gotcha Questions

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 21:23-25

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"

24 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  25 The baptism of John — where was it from? From heaven or from men?"

NKJV

Campaign season has begun in the United States and with it, we are already beginning to see the media trying to trip up candidates with gotcha questions.  It is beginning to appear that the gotcha question this campaign is going to be, “knowing what you know now would you ____” and then fill in the blank.  Most recently, Jeb Bush, fell victim to one of these questions. 

The question came during an interview with Megyn Kelly on Fox News Monday May 11, 2015 where he was asked, “Knowing what you know now, was the Iraq War a mistake?”  The answer Jeb Bush gave was “I would’ve.  And so would’ve Hillary Clinton.”  (1)  Of course, the liberal media seeking fodder to use against the potential GOP nominee for President in 2016 believed Jeb’s answer was exactly what they were looking for.  They believed they could now bring Mr. Bush down by claiming he was a warmonger just like his brother. 

Since hindsight is 20/20, gotcha questions like this are unfair for Jeb Bush’s brother made his decision based on intelligence available at the time and did not have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight as Jeb Bush does now.  In subsequent interviews, Jeb Bush attempted to clarify his answer by saying that he misinterpreted the question to actually mean that were he in the same position as his brother with the information his brother had at the time, he would have made the same decision.  (1)  This is why he included Senator Hillary Clinton in his answer for she too voted to authorize the invasion in Iraq based upon the same information President George W. Bush had at the time. 

Perhaps the answer Jeb Bush should have given was the short one he finally gave at a May 14 town hall in Tempe Arizona where he said, “If we're all supposed to answer hypothetical questions: Knowing what we now know, what would you have done? I would not have engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq.”   (1)  The lesson we can learn here is that the short, to the point answer is probably the best. 

In Matthew 21:23, we see an instance where Jesus was asked a gotcha question by the religious leaders of his time.  The question involved the source of the authority for Jesus’ teachings and the miracles he was performing.  I do not believe those asking the question were interested at all in knowing the basis of Jesus’ authority, but were actually seeking to entrap Jesus with His answer. 

Jesus could have honestly answered the question by saying he was the Son of God and actually God in the flesh (John 1:14), an answer Jesus actually gave when questioned after his betrayal by Judas (Matthew26:63-65).  The result of the answer to the question in Matthew was an accusation of blasphemy, resulting in Jesus’ death by crucifixion.  Granted, this was what Jesus came to earth to do for prophet Isaiah and King David foretold Jesus’ death by crucifixion in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.  Jesus’ crucifixion made possible His victory over death, his resurrection, and ascension.  However, when asked the question regarding his authority in Matthew 21, it was not the time to answer the question directly and instead Jesus answered the question with a question (Matthew 21:24-25). 

Answering a gotcha question with a question is yet another method of handling gotcha questions.  In fact, another presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, recently used something similar to answer another gotcha question. 

This time the question involved the issue of gay marriage.  The question asked of Ted Cruz was does he have “a personal animosity against gay Americans.”  (2)  The obvious purpose of the question was an effort to portray Senator Cruz as someone hating gays.  Knowing this, Senator Cruz redirected the debate by asking the questioner to consider the fact that ISIS, a terrorist organization punishes gays by throwing them off buildings and cliffs.  Senator Cruz in effect changed the focus of hatred of gays from him, to where the real hatred lays, ISIS and radical Islam.  (2)

This reminds us of another radical Islamist leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  In 2007, when asked about gays in Iran by a Columbia University student, Mr. Ahmadinejad responded with “In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country.”  (3)  This was a very honest answer for the reason there are no gays in Iran, or at least people claiming to be gay, is that the penalty for being gay under Sharia Law is death.  (4) 

The purpose of gotcha questions is to entrap people into giving an answer the questioner can use against them.  In the instance of Jeb Bush, the purpose was to marginalize his qualifications for President of the United States by equating him with his brother, someone the liberal media despises.  In the instance of Jesus, questioners were attempting to get an answer in which they could accuse Him of blasphemy and eliminate Him.  Even though Jesus did eventually provide the answer they were looking for, he did it at the right time to fulfill the purpose for which he came.  In the case of Ted Cruz, the purpose was to divert attention back to the important issues of national security, the economy, and the preservation of the Constitutional Republic and away from the side issue of gay marriage. 

Gotcha questions will occur this election cycle as they do in all election cycles.  My advice to candidates is to carefully construct answers to these questions by giving short to the point answers, answering the question with a question, or redirecting the discussion back to the important issues of the day. 

1. Bump, Philip. Here is every answer Jeb Bush gave on Iraq this week. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, May 14, 2015. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/05/14/the-art-of-the-simple-campaign-answer-as-learned-by-jeb-bush-this-week/.

2. PPD Staff. Ted Cruz Smacks Down Liberal Reporter Over Gay Marriage Gotcha Question. www.peoplespunditdaily.com. [Online] Peoples Pundit Daily, May 22, 2015. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/news/politics/2015/05/22/ted-cruz-smacks-down-liberal-reporter-over-gay-marriage-gotcha-question/.

3. The Daily Mail. 'We don't have any gays in Iran,' Iranian president tells Ivy League audience. www.dailymail.co.uk. [Online] The Daily Mail, September 25, 2007. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-483746/We-dont-gays-Iran-Iranian-president-tells-Ivy-League-audience.html.

4. TheReligionorPeace.com. What Does the Religion of Peace Teach About Homosexuality. www.thereligionofpeace.com. [Online] TheReligionorPeace.com. [Cited: May 25, 2015.] http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/quran/026-homosexuality.htm.