What is going on?
We’ve had two debates so far with Hillary Clinton battling Donald Trump. Both debates were filled with name-calling, threats, pointed fingers, and a lot of interruptions. So what was left out? POLICIES. The whole point of a debate is to discuss the differences in policies. The only type of policy debate occurred during the Vice-Presidential debate between Tim Kaine and Mike Pence, but that still didn't fully satisfy me. The past two debates have shifted political discussion among the public from substance-oriented conversation, to pointed fingers and trash talk.
It’s crazy that we have only have one more debate yet we haven’t gotten to hear the candidates tackle any policy issues. Sure, Trump and Clinton will throw bits of their policies in there, but it is not the primary focus in these debates. And that sucks!
So whom do we blame for this substance-lacking election season? The moderators! Yes, that means you Lester Holt, Anderson Cooper, and Martha Raddatz. Of course the moderators want to base their questions off the hot topics in the media at the moment, but at the end of the day, I want to know what these policies are that will shape our future. I get it that some topics are important to discuss, such as the Access Hollywood video of Trump and Billy Bush, or Hillary Clinton’s trustworthiness, but the American public should know what the candidates’ policies are because in just a few months one of these candidates will president and dictating federal policy.
Moderators have the power to ask these questions, but instead they mainly focus on the candidates’ character. The moderators then determine what the political atmosphere will be like for the next week, which will then set the stage for the next debate. The media has turned this election season into a bicker-fest. Instead of focusing on the policies, the media has focused on the “he said, she said”.
So now it is the responsibility of the voter to understand what the policies are, instead of hearing them directly from the candidates themselves during the debates. This debate is no longer “vote for me because my policies are better” it is now “vote for me because the other candidate sucks”.
So here we are, a few days away from the final debate of this election season, and my expectations for a policy-focused debate are slim. Come on Chris Wallace, do us all a favor and make this debate an actual presidential debate. I’m rooting for you!
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