Had it been up to me, I probably would not have found the time to go watch the presidential debate. I have a busy schedule, and sitting down to watch politicians argue is not high on my list of priorities. Plus I could easily watch the highlights and commentary online. But this outlook quickly changed when watching the presidential debates turned into an assignment. This semester I am taking a political communications class. We are required to attend debate watching parties and other events on campus surrounding local and national elections. In order to keep these events interesting, rather than just another thing I have to do for homework, I’ve decided to write on my reactions.
This year’s election will be the first one that I will I have an opportunity to vote in. I have many factors to consider, and at points I feel overwhelmed. Why should I care about this? Who listens to what I have to say? Rather than using this as a chance to support one candidate over another, I’m interested in talking about the bigger ideas and lessons that we can take away from this election cycle. It’s my belief that forming a more comprehensive knowledge will better allow us to act as agents of change in the future.
After watching the first debate I was disheartened to see the lack of civility between the candidates. We had talked about civility during class that day. Our professor asked us to form groups and to discuss how we would define what was civil and uncivil. This seemed like an easy task, we typically can categorize what’s right and wrong. Yet our group found it difficult to come up with a definition, especially when considering the political context. For example I thought it was unnecessary for a candidate to attack an opponent’s personality rather than their policies. Another member quickly pointed out that this is impossible, the personality traits of our next leader will play a crucial role in how they run this country. I saw his point, but I wished there was a way to do this respectfully. Even simply changing the wording of an argument can create a better environment for a debate. In theory this sounds great, but how successful is “being civil” when you are trying to win in an election?
In class I also discovered this year is that neither Trump nor Hillary called the other to congratulate them on their party nomination. I was unaware that this has been a traditional practice for years in presidential elections. In 2008 John McCain even aired an ad to publicly congratulate President Obama on his democratic nomination. So going into the debate I was scared to see just how far things would go between Trump and Hillary. I quickly saw the incivility coming out from both sides. Trump was constantly interrupting Hillary as she tried to argue her points. Hillary was just as quick to use harsh words against Trump, stating that he was, “Living in his own reality.”
At the same time, I can’t blame either of them for dishing out these nasty comments. The whole room was on the edge of their seats just waiting to see what outrageous thing would be said next. When a snide remark was made against the opponent, “ohhhs” and “ahhs”, or even laughter, would sound throughout the room. These attacks are what keep people interested in politics. Over 80 million people watched this debate, one of the most-watched in American history. It’s obvious a large part of American politics has become entertainment, while discussing important policies is more of a side note. Citizens should we aware of this, and should consider how this has shaped our government and political systems today.
In the midst of presidential campaigning that often turns uncivil, there is still reason to believe that civility is not only possible, but often times the better option. The photo of Michelle Obama hugging former President George W. Bush has been circulating the internet. A moment of compassion crossing party lines. Vice President Joe Biden and Senator John McCain were awarded the Allegheny College Prize for Civility in Public Life for 2016. It is important to remember that there are still political figures that believe in civility. As this election moves forward, Americans should hold all of our politicians and political candidates to this high standard. Civility shouldn’t be optional, it should be expected.