To say the 2024 presidential race has been unusual would be an understatement — an assassination attempt, an incumbent suspending his campaign, and a whole lot of weirdness. So when the Sept. 10 debate commenced, it seemed many Americans knew what to expect: an angry former president and a relatively unknown vice president. The scary thing was everyone was left shocked with the night’s results.
The start of the night seemed pretty normal, and even cordial — a smile and handshake shared by the candidates eased some tension. I wondered at the start of the debate if we would finally get some answers for the American people. What policies would be discussed? Would we have comprehensive plans to address inflation? What type of foreign policy views did each candidate carry? Let’s just say their responses were lackluster, to say the least, on almost everything.
As the night progressed, it appeared that neither candidate would be offering anything substantive. Instead, both President Trump and Vice President Harris stuck to their talking points. They both attacked and defended, morphing the debate into a personal cage fight. Other than the 2020 election, I can’t remember a debate in recent history when a vast majority of time was related to personal attacks on the opposing candidate. It is often said politics is one of the most vicious blood sports – Tuesday proved it.
It’s disappointing and disheartening that our political institutions have come to this point. As of 2023, only 26 percent of Americans have confidence in major U.S. institutions. As a country, instead of hearing our own concerns and needs, we heard the tale of two people: first, an embattled President who, despite proclaiming his goal to revitalize the country, is seeking revenge. His constant attacks are often understandable from a personal perspective, but do little to attract voters to his campaign.
The opposite of this? I don’t really know. Kamala Harris, other than getting under President Trump’s skin and rebuking his points, didn’t say anything of substance. In a way, the only way I would say there was a winner in the debate is because of Harris’s immediate yet modest rise in the polls following the debate. At times, she did offer a unifying message around a shared social vision for America, but only while simultaneously attacking Trump’s supporters and their values.
The highlights of the night? Two lies by both sides. The first? Yes, the “eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats” comment. It came as a surprise even to me, who has worked in politics and heard interesting points made by candidates before. The second lie? Harris’s assertion of Trump being connected to Project 2025. It seems like a Hail Mary for her and her party; They keep pinning that radical theory to Trump, even though he denies supporting or having knowledge of it.
In reality, without any window dressing, it was one of the worst debates in modern American history. It saddens me that in today’s world, we unquestioningly accept what is happening around us. The Republicans picked an unwinnable candidate. The Democratic party picked a new candidate without a single vote. The whole system is broken. Average people and voters are left in the middle of the two parties, left with an impossible scenario. Compromise our beliefs to fit a polarized political narrative? Or completely remove oneself from the process, and forfeit voting in exchange for a peace of mind that not participating in the process brings? More broadly, the people are never at the forefront of any discussion. Whether about the economy, immigration, social and political rights, it seems to never matter. The petty school yard tactics of modern day politics negates any progress that is needed to alleviate average peoples struggles. One aspect of this could be the economy, where inflation, while slowing, is still negatively affecting millions of hard working families.
So, instead of focusing on politicians, let’s focus on the stories of the American people: the people who are building and supporting both parties in power, and the people who are longing for a sense of normal again after seeing the “Weird” debate.
