If you’ve been on social media at all this past week, you’ve most likely heard former President Donald Trump say, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” or how, when asked if he had a plan, he responded by saying he has “concepts of a plan.” While the purpose of a presidential debate should be to inform voters about their candidates, thus helping them make informed decisions regarding the election, our most recent debate seemed to simply produce instant fodder for our TikTok and Instagram feeds.
Quite frankly, I find this disgraceful. Our current presidential candidates should act with decorum and respect for one another, but instead they have resorted to name-calling and nonsensical digressions. Neither one of the candidates truly answered any questions. Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted a second debate against Trump, which he declined. Honestly, can you really blame him?
Our debates have been utterly uncivilized, in my opinion, to the point where candidates must have their microphones muted to prevent them from speaking over one another. It appears that as political polarization worsens, so has mutual respect for someone on the opposite side of the political spectrum.
If we look at a debate with former President Barack Obama and now-Senator Mitt Romney in 2012, the difference is clear. Not only are the candidates actually discussing policy and being civil, but they are also acknowledging the other’s humanity. For starters, at the beginning of the first presidential debate of 2012, Obama and Romney greeted each other with a warm handshake and seemingly exchanged pleasantries. Romney even joked about the fact that it was Obama’s anniversary the day of the debate, saying, “Congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your anniversary. I’m sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine.” It seems unfathomable to imagine such a remark during a present-day presidential debate. At the end of the debate between Obama and Romney, the two men shake hands — once again — and say their goodbyes while smiling.
During our most recent presidential debate, Trump did not walk up to Harris to shake her hand; rather, Harris needed to walk over to Trump’s podium to greet him. The interaction appeared cold, awkward and totally departed from the cordiality we’ve seen in past presidential debates.
Our debates appear to have become mere entertainment, which isn’t the ideal way to get people politically involved. While watching the recent debate between Trump and Harris, I remember breaking into laughter with my friends after hearing Trump’s comment regarding pets, going on to text my parents about my shock and amusement. This isn’t what we should be doing while watching a presidential debate, yet here we are. When I watched the debate, I learned nothing new about either candidate, and I didn’t get a proper answer to any of the questions asked by the moderators — frustrating, I know.
I believe that the latest debates have contributed nothing to our ability to be politically educated and engaged citizens. So why should we continue having them at all? Yes, debates allow us to determine which candidate may be more suitable for the position of president, but it appears the bar is low: whoever seems more competent or articulate wins. In other words, the answer to the question of who won the presidential debate seems to be whichever candidate spent the least amount of time ranting about utter nonsense. If only our debates could once again focus on public policy, international affairs or the state of the economy, maybe then we’d be less disappointed in the state of our nation.
What is most disappointing may be the lack of mutual respect between the current presidential candidates. In 2012, it was clear the two candidates respected each other, despite not seeing eye to eye on the majority of political issues. Today, it seems as though the two candidates do not understand or respect one another on a basic level. Until this mutual understanding can occur, our debates will continue to look like train wrecks. Our presidential debates should be informative first and entertaining second. I don’t want to hear my future president make snarky remarks; I want to know what they are going to do for the country.
