Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 37
by Dace Potas
Donald Trump declared last week that there would not be another presidential debate between him and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Pundits were quick to point out that the Trump campaign was already doing “damage control” after a weak debate performance the first time around, and the Harris campaign apparently accused Trump of trying to dodge a second debate loss. And I’m sure voters and media outlets were excited for a second debate, just for whatever craziness would result.
I argued following the debate that Trump had a poor performance, but frankly, I’m not so sure that matters, and I don’t think his decision not to debate further will turn off many voters.
Trump’s debate decision probably doesn’t move the needle
Debates have traditionally been grounds for candidates to differentiate themselves on policy civilly. Look at the Obama-Romney debates or the Gore-Bush debates, and you will see an entirely different political climate.
These civil environments could persuade swing voters, particularly when our nation was far less polarized. The candidates gave voters policy decisions to weigh.
However, in the present, our debates have devolved into a slugfest between two candidates who utterly detest each other, catering to voter bases who don’t exactly get along. Part of that is the dynamic of these two particular candidates, but the other part reflects that there are no longer voters to convince, only voting bases to rally.
Trump and Gen Z
Trump’s campaign is courting Gen Z frat bros. I’m not convinced it will help.
According to a recent New York Times/Siena College poll of likely voters, 5% are undecided, and neither candidate seems all that eager to persuade them.
Harris at least says there is a place for those voters in her campaign (though her actions tell me otherwise). Trump has long actively pushed moderates from his party away, choosing instead to turn the party over to MAGA.
This election amounts to a referendum on Trump, and there are very few Americans who don’t have sharp feelings one way or the other about our 45th president, which is why so few voters have yet to decide on their choice for 2024.
Trump’s decision is disappointing to me on several levels
Debates are supposed to be a civil comparison of stances between two candidates. Instead, they have become so hostile due in part to Trump’s abandonment of political norms.
Republicans have lost their way:Where are the Republicans I grew up admiring? Trump has infected GOP with his MAGA virus.
His entirely disruptive nature within American politics has shifted the political landscape, and just as he refused to debate his Republican primary opponents out of fear, he is doing the same thing in the general election.
The former president is again abandoning the typical flow of the election cycle because he can’t handle his ego being hurt by a poor performance.
I expect the Vance vs. Walz debate to be equally broken
There is one more debate coming, though. Americans have another chance to watch our politicians likely embrace chaotic personal attacks with the vice presidential debate slated for Oct. 1.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have joined their running mates in the idea that their opponent will destroy the country. Such dramatic outlooks are horrible for the prospects of a respectful debate between candidates.
Trump chose Vance as someone who can emulate the MAGA style of politics. Vance has proved to have some shortcomings as a candidate, but I’m sure he will try his hardest to be a faithful MAGA representative in the debate. Walz similarly will look to emulate Harris’ rhetoric that Trump and his allies are a threat to democracy. These outlooks have no compatibility with civility and will do nothing to change voting decisions.
This season of debates has made it clear that civility is out the window
The abandonment of civil political norms in our country is a large reason why we have become so polarized. It is no longer the expectation that we can calmly disagree on major issues. The expectation is now hostility.
This is the result of each party’s actions. The GOP is embracing Trump’s MAGA movement, and the Democrats are heightening rhetoric in response.
I can’t help but hope these issues leave whenever Trump is out of politics, but I think he has pushed the Democrats so far that they can’t move back and shifted the Republican Party so far outside respectful governance that we never return.
The reality we live in is inevitable escalation, and I am frustrated that there is no end in sight. But at least we might not have to see it again before November.
