At the debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on Sept. 26, Clinton seemed like she won the debate. Unfortunately, political civility lost overall. This is an important factor that was missing from the debate.
A Stooping Contest
The night was filled with remarks from each podium. Small remarks about each other’s campaign made it a contest of who could stoop lower with their comments. Evading questions was commonplace during this debate. Watching the highlight video of this debate did not exactly cover the policies explained. Rather, it looked and sounded like a blooper reel. The videos focused on what comments were made by who and how the other candidate responded. All each candidate did was give a sweeping generality of their policies on certain subjects while trying to get under each other’s skin.
It was deeply saddening to watch the potential candidates for the president of the United States attack each on matters as trivial as looks. Trump decided to comment on Clinton’s stamina. He degraded her on all aspects solely based on the fact that she is a woman. This is a terrible comment the media used to rip Trump to pieces.
In the debate, Clinton quoted Michelle Obama’s speech from the Democratic National Convention saying, “If they take the low road, we’ll take the high road.” In this case, Clinton took the high road, but decided to use the emergency lane to cut through traffic. She made a valid point of her work as Secretary of State, but then again took the low road at pointing fingers and simply saying she is better at what she does.
A Bandaid on a Gun Wound
There is no denying there is bad blood between the two candidates. Watching them shake hands at the beginning and end of the debate was like putting a bandaid on a gun wound. The two do not get along whatsoever.
This does not mean they should act the same way. Playing a game of who is better with short remarks and disses solves nothing. I want to see them show respect towards each other. When they acted so casual during the debate with each other in order to fight one another with words, it depicted a lack of care for the issues. There should be a mutual agreement that there are problems within this country that need fixing. Both candidates look like they do not care about becoming president. It looks like they want to become president to fill another slot on their resume.
The lack of kindness in this election between each candidate shows how little they care about the issues at hand. It shows how much they care about simply crushing the other candidate into the ground and pushing their own personal agenda.
