“Where’s the beef?”: After Clinton and Trump went for style over substance, here are the burning issues we need to tackle at the next debate

Is it too early to wait for the second presidential debate? Well, Donald Trump hasn't stopped re-challenging yet. firstafter spending much of Tuesday blaming moderator Lester Holt for his terrible Monday night performance, former Miss Universe Alicia Machado and the debate commission he proposed deliberately gave him a faulty microphone.

But while much of the post-debate commentary focused on how well GOP presidential candidate Trump and rival Hillary Clinton performed under the glare of the debate stage, less attention was paid to the policies each stood for. In Trump's case, that's partly because he changes his political preferences more often than most people change their underwear.

Don't like Trump's proposal? Wait 30 seconds, he will take another one.

As for Clinton, she has a reputation as a political wonk who likes to dig deep into issues. Indeed, this should be one of the advantages of her candidacy. Campaign confidants often quoted her thousands of words about politics. website against several hundred Trump.

One area where she has difficulty is connecting the importance of her policy decisions with their ability to significantly influence dissatisfied voters who half-heartedly vote for her. So some pointed questions about politics might help her in that area, if she can answer them without some of the stiltedness she sometimes displayed on Monday night.

Of course, it is difficult to fit complex policy decisions into the two minutes allotted for answering questions. And any candidate will want to avoid diving deep into the political weeds and losing audiences. Still, there were some glaring omissions: The list of issues that didn't get airtime, or were at least mentioned in passing on Monday, includes some of the most pressing issues we face.

So, with the next debate scheduled for the week of this Sunday, here are a few topics that moderators CNN's Anderson Cooper and ABC's Martha Raddatz should ask the candidates about:

Climate change

President Barack Obama said climate change is the most relevant Foreign policy problem of our time. Countries' competition for resources that have been degraded and diminished by a warming planet is already leading to violent conflicts around the world. Indeed, there is some evidence that climate change-induced drought has sowed the seeds of a civil war in Syria that will become a foreign policy priority for the next president.

The United States is a party to global climate agreements that require it to do its part to reduce emissions. Therefore, whether the new administration will honor these treaties is an important question for the rest of the world. Our military, which Trump continues to claim he wants to rebuild, is already factoring climate change into its long-term plans. The GOP may still want to pretend this phenomenon isn't happening, but that won't stop it.

However, the only mention of climate change on Monday was when Clinton referred to the 2012 law. Trump tweet in which a real estate mogul accused the Chinese of inventing this “hoax” to ruin the American economy. This deserves more attention, much more.

Healthcare

Obamacare is still facing Republican Party-led resistance and ongoing efforts to kill it. This creates problems for members of the public. Trump's plan is the same as it has been for more than a year: repeal Obamacare and “replace it with something amazing.” Clinton supported the idea of ​​a public option that would expand coverage and provide some competition for insurers.

Seven years after the passage of Obamacare, there is still a huge and insurmountable philosophical gap between the two parties regarding Americans' right to access health insurance. The presidential debates are a good opportunity for candidates to make clear to voters how their choices this fall will affect whether they have such access in the future.

Voting rights

The Republican Party has made ongoing efforts to disenfranchise voters, especially people of color who typically vote Democratic. It's an effort that was intensified after conservatives dominated the Supreme Court in 2013. Gutted the Voting Rights Actwere so egregious that federal courts vigorously condemned them. However, some of the laws states have passed for voter identification and other restrictions will prevent thousands of people from voting this year.

Trump, with his newfound concern for the African-American community, should be pressed hard to agree with the rest of his party that it should keep as many black people as possible from voting. In the meantime, Clinton could be asked about her announced plans to restore voting rights and how much of a priority she intends to make restoring voting rights.

Family vacation

One of the few topics we have concrete plan from both candidates This is family leave. Given Trump's history of sexism and misogyny, and his pride in barely lifting a finger to help raise any of his children, this seems like a surefire topic that will get both candidates talking – and fighting. Big problems can still make for great television.

Moderators have until October 9 to prepare their questions. We hope they will address at least a few of the issues that were ignored in the first debate.