The date is September 29, 2020. The country is more divided than ever. Both candidates have very low bars to reach. Democrats are hoping former Vice President Joe Biden can get a coherent sentence out, and at this point, there’s nothing President Trump could say that would deter his current supporters.
Meanwhile, in the Lurie Household, my mom, dad, and I all sat on our couch to prepare for the next ninety minutes of our life. My family has been watching the Democratic debates as well as both National conventions, so this Presidential debate was a big night.
With moderator Chris Wallace, the two candidates cover COVID-19, the Supreme Court, race and violence, and the integrity of the upcoming election. One unique aspect of this debate was the absence of live fact-checking by the moderators, so either candidate could say pretty much anything during their time to speak.
In summary, this debate was essentially a back and forth between which candidate interrupted the other first. In an election where most swing-voters have already made the decisions on who they are voting for, this debate more shows how the two nominees interact with each other. For me, the debate is more of a comedy than a serious political program. This can be seen through the following quotes during the debate:
“Did you use the word ‘smart’? You graduated at the lowest of your class. There’s nothing smart about you, Joe.” -President Donald Trump.
“I brought football back. It was me.” -President Trump.
“You’re the president of screwing things up.” -Former Vice President Joe Biden.
“China ate your lunch, Joe.”-President Trump.
“Will you shut up, man?” -Vice President Biden.
“Try to be honest.” -Vice President Biden.
“And him too?”-President Trump, “Well, frankly, you’ve done more interrupting.”-moderator Chris Wallace.
“You wouldn’t know a suburb unless you took a wrong turn.” -Vice President Biden.
Despite this, the debate continued with interrupting, yelling, and accusing. The first topic lasted half the time, with the remaining five segmented topics needing to be shortened for the rest of the debate. I laughed, my mom groaned, and my dad had to leave the room. I can’t help but wonder if every other household experienced this too.
While there are many important things to take away, I believe the most important is to give poor Chris Wallace a raise. The Fox News moderator spent most of the debate telling both nominees to stop talking over the other. Though some blame him for letting the candidates trump over his questions, it’s clear the role of the moderator is difficult.
This first of three debates was not the most formal, but it did show the true colors of both candidates for any voter to see, whether or not that makes a difference. NBC’s Chuck Todd simply said, “It was a trainwreck.”, Andrea Mitchell called it, “A hot mess.”
Unfortunately, it’s hard to determine a winner. The main takeaway was that the debates will hopefully mute the non-speaking candidates’ microphone to prevent interruptions. But, there is always more to look forward to. The next debate is between the Vice President nominees and will take place on October 7, and then the second Presidential debate on October 15.
The first Presidential debate will definitely be in the eventual history books, and more importantly, this election. If you are eligible to vote, please do. Encourage your friends and family members to register. Visit https://iwillvote.com/
