U.S. debate a low point for political discourse By: Editorial Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2020

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/09/2020 (1451 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the normal run of political campaigning, the question most asked the morning after a major candidates’ debate is, “Who won?”

In the aftermath of Tuesday’s faceoff between incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden — the first of three scheduled debates in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 U.S. election — it’s likely that a great many who tuned it in were left lamenting 90 squandered minutes they’ll never get back and wondering out loud, “Who CARES?”

It was, simply put, a shameful affair. Variously described in media reactions as “a train wreck,” “a joke,” “a dumpster fire,” “a low point in political discourse,” an “unseemly shout-fest,” “a s**t show” and “the worst presidential debate in living memory,” the televised encounter dragged the very notion of political debates — in which candidates are implored to engage in face-to-face discussions aimed at enlightening the electorate on each’s policies and beliefs — into a figurative ditch so deep, befouled and disgusting that there’s reason to worry the format can never be unsoiled.

It’s a night most Americans — including the two candidates and the woefully ineffectual moderator, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace — would very likely rather forget. But there are many reasons it should not be cast immediately into the dustbin of history, and should instead be held up as a stark reminder of what American politics has become, and an encouragement for voters to use the power of their ballots to ensure it’s not what American politics will be in 2021 and beyond.

While it’s fair to observe that no one on the stage in Cleveland acquitted himself well, it’s inarguable that blame for the debacle-ishness of the event is not evenly distributed. Fault for the undignified and brutish demeanour of the dialogue falls squarely on Mr. Trump, who arrived at his podium clearly intent on employing every insult and untruth at his disposal to set Mr. Biden off balance while avoiding accountability for his manifold failings as president.

Mr. Wallace’s attempts to keep the discussion on topic and on track failed completely as Mr. Trump, in as unpresidential a turn as has ever been offered in a debate forum, ignored the rules to which his campaign team had agreed and continually interrupted his opponent with juvenile insults and falsehood-based provocations.

Mr. Biden, for his part, was not unflappable, referring in frustration to Mr. Trump as a clown, a liar, and the worst president in U.S. history. At one particularly low point, an exasperated Mr. Biden simply turned to face his opponent’s ongoing harangue and shot back, “Will you shut up, man?”

There was precious little, in terms of policy or party platform, for voters to absorb. There were, however, moments that should be held in mind as Americans cast their ballots, the most notable being Mr. Trump’s unwillingness — or, perhaps, inability — when asked directly to do so, to categorically condemn the alt-right, white-supremacist faction that has long supported him and that he has been very reluctant to confront.

When Mr. Wallace asked if he would tell his white supremacist followers — and specifically, the violent fringe group known as The Proud Boys — to stand down and cease interfering the the electoral process, Mr. Trump instead called on the group to “stand back, and stand by” — a statement that by evening’s end was being displayed on T-shirts and shoulder patches circulated online by the group’s members.

Shameful, indeed — the statement; the response; the debate.