It has been just over twenty four hours since the first 2020 Presidential Debate kicked off and I can honestly say without a doubt, that was one hell of a wild ride. At times it resembled a Jackson Pollock painting; the viewer never knowing where one line might abruptly end and another strong contrasting line might take its place, creating this chaotic thing of beauty that betrays any logical progression and societal norms and is this loud and boisterous masterpiece of color. It’s soft blues interrupted by aggressive oranges creating a cavalcade of colors that leaves the viewer speechless, excited, yet filled with dread.
Unfortunately, this is not a Jackson Pollock and a debate stage is no place for experimental interruptive art.
The idea of debate is a necessity for a smooth and stable democracy. Debate is a donnee. It’s a given. But, how we debate is something that is being challenged in a way that is incredibly dangerous and inconducive to the very idea of democracy itself. It is not only disrespectful to your opponent, but also to the people who are listening to you talk over the competition. It’s gross and childish in a manner in which a seven year old might conduct themselves in an argument with someone their age. It’s irreprehensible.
These were too fully grown adults, debating over a series of topics that effect our very nation and it broke down into Donald Trump consistently interrupting Joe Biden, and Biden eventually cracking and joining in the fray. Now, don’t get me wrong, Biden wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Trump was. Anybody who watched that debate could see very well and clear that Trump was consistently the antagonizer and incessantly interrupted Biden any chance he got. Sometimes swaying the entire topic of conversation to some detour that was a waste of everybody’s time, because at no point was any question asked about Biden’s sons, yet here we had Biden having to return an insult to his family, which he handled with grace, acceptance and understanding. Its kind of funny because with that moment, Trump handed Biden the debate. That was a slam dunk moment for Biden, and it was a clean three-sixty windmill and he put it home.
I’m sorry. I got off track.
That’s the very issue at the heart of it all. When voter’s should be hearing about policy and issues they care about, they are having to waste time listening to disruption and accusation that changes the subject from policy to another candidate having to answer some inane question or declaration without ever getting to the main talking point. Its a nobody wins game; and honestly, a brilliant tactic, if you know you will lose on policy questions and anything close to a question about serious presidential issues why not constantly disrupt and shift talking points. It’s been done for some time now. It’s often how manipulators control conversation.
Legitimately, so many things need to happen to even begin to bring the decency of debate back to the main stage. It has fallen so far Dante is having conversation with it in the third circle. That said, we’ll just go with the blatantly obvious one.
A mute button.
There is absolutely no reason in this day and age, with this President, that globally televised debates shouldn’t have a mute function. This may sound crass, but legitimately, underground battle rappers have better debate manners than the sitting president. Eminem, a man who was vehemently controversial in his day, even had the decency to let the other man have his rap. It’s unforgivable. So, that said, you have to take his toys from him; but in the interest of fairness, everybody loses their toys as well, because we apparently have to treat our presidential candidates like children! Now everybody gets muted when it isn’t their turn to speak. Ruined it for the whole class.
It’s just absurd.
Not even because Donald Trump is making us look like fools on a global scale and is essentially shoving free-throw shooters during their shot while the ref sits back and says, “Please stop shoving him”, but the fact that we ever allowed it to get this far.
Now, I know there have been fierce debates. Hell, our country was founded on them. The very constitution was written on them and a violent Civil War was fought as a result of them. But, the decorum was still there. Fierce debates are never screaming matches, but a challenging of ideas and we’ve grown so far away from that. We watched as Romney fell to Obama when Obama let out a slight chuckle while Romney was speaking. That was in 2012. Some eight years later, we have a sitting president continuously speaking over and hurling accusations at a former vice-president. It’s disgusting on a moral level.
We have to be better than this. The American people deserve better than this and this wild ride through Pollock paintings has got to end.
With love,
Samuel Grosse
samgrosse 
I watched the first televised presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon. It was a very orderly formal affair with each candidate given time to answer a meaningful question on policy. One would speak on the issue then the other would give his answer. Over the years the rules have become less formal. This debate had free discussion time. Given the declining quality of the questions, the free discussion time, no mute button, no penalty for interruption and increasing informality, this was a result that should gave been foreseeable. Time to back up and put in more structure. And a mute button.