The Debates are More Important Now than Ever

By Olivia Vermane

​In an age of information overload, the shared experience of watching the candidates speak for themselves is rare. Too bad we learned nothing from either one.

In 1960, Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy went face to face with Republican nominee Richard Nixon in the first nationally televised presidential debate.

As the first in history to be televised, this debate gave Americans across the nation a front row seat to the candidates they would be voting for.

​A confident Kennedy emerged as the apparent winner against a sweaty, nervous Nixon.

Although foes, Kennedy and Nixon engaged in a dialogue that impacted every American.
Fast forward 60 years, and the first debate of the 2020 presidential election was hardly a debate at all.

Full of exaggerations, interruptions and outright lies, those 90 minutes resembled more of a chaotic cacophony of arguments than a civilized conversation. Trump interrupted Biden, Biden insulted Trump, and moderator Chris Wallace desperately grasped for any form of control that was, unfortunately, lacking from the start. Wallace closely resembled a parent who has been homeschooling their kindergartener since March.

Both candidates did little to address important issues, and for the topics they did speak on, the discussion was not exactly a discussion. Many of President Trump’s interruptions were met with sarcastic chuckles or a direct “shut up” from Biden. Within minutes, the debate went down the drain. However, just because this debate didn’t go as planned doesn’t mean presidential debates don’t matter. In fact, these debates may have more significance now than ever.

The media landscape of Kennedy and Nixon’s age is almost unrecognizable compared to today’s. The modern 24 hour news cycle has created an information overload that constantly flows through an array of traditional news outlets and social media sites. Our selective exposure to content that reaffirms our opinions has led to ever increasing political polarization in all corners of the country. For an American public with constant biased information at their fingertips, presidential debates come as something of an artifact of the former media realm. Rarely are Americans of all backgrounds, political affiliations and opinions viewing the same material that is unfiltered by direct media commentary. Just the two candidates, face to face on one stage. This is one event that anyone, no matter their literacy in politics or prior knowledge of either candidate, can take part in. The shared experience of the same debate being broadcast across the country is a valuable moment for the American public. Or, should be at least.

The purpose of the debates is to learn something about the candidates, whether it is related to their character or the policies they plan to bring to the oval office should they be elected. For Tuesday’s 70 million viewers, among them a number of undecided voters, hoping to learn anything about either candidate, they unfortunately left empty handed. With the official election date just under a month away, candidates' chances to show what they can bring to the American people are running out.

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced that “additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.”

For the sake of both candidates and their Vice Presidents, let’s hope the next debate goes a bit smoother.