Three Questions The News Media Should Be Asking After The 2014 Elections

It's the day after the 2014 midterm elections and depending on their affiliation, politicians are all over television today either running a victory lap or throwing other people under the bus. Viewers are going to hear a lot of carefully constructed soundbites and empty phrases that don't actually mean much when you examine them.

Granted, television doesn't offer a lot of opportunities for lengthy policy discussions. But here are three follow-up questions the media SHOULD be asking today - but probably won't.

1) Which policy or policies are you willing to compromise on to make bipartisanship work?

Every politician today is talking about "working across the aisle" to get government moving again. In reality, bipartisanship usually means "I think we can force the other side to do what we want." So when someone talks about working with members of the opposite party, drill down into specifics. Don't let them get away with the generic "immigration" or "getting the economy working again." What specifically would they do? And which of their opponents policies are they willing to accept to make true compromise a reality?

2) What income would you considered to be "middle class?"

The term "middle class" get tossed around by politicians and the media in about the same frequency as a fast food worker uses the phrase "would you like fries with that?" But politicians of both parties are loathe to define how much household income is required to fall into that category. Is $30,000 enough? Is $1.5 million too much? How a politician answers this question says a lot about how they see America and its families.

3) Blah..Blah...Blah..Blah....2016.

Yes, you've got to ask questions about the 2016 presidential election. Even though history shows that nearly everything anyone says about the election two years out is probably wrong. But if you have to ask the question (and apparently the urge is genetically hardwired into political reporters), then at least ask something useful. "What's the biggest mistake your party could make between now and the 2016 elections?" "What does the prospect of a possible Clinton vs. Bush presidential race say about the long-held belief that anyone can grow up to be president?" For the love of Edward R. Murrow, don't be afraid to ask an uncomfortable question.