Tonight was debate number two for the 2016 Presidential Election, and it was painful.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had one of the worst presidential debates in modern history. I would venture to say it holds the title of the worst. These two sounded like toddlers screaming in Wal-Mart. Trump dodged questions and rambled. Hillary went on sob story mode. They attacked each other almost the entire time. It was like watching Mean Girls: Presidential Edition.
From mannerisms to words, this entire debate was agonizing.
In a country where issues abound, our possible leadership is failing us. The kicker? They haven’t even been elected yet. America is loaded with problems. We always have been. For whatever the reason, many of these pertinent issues took a backseat to the personal lives of Trump and Clinton. I watched the entire debate from start to finish and here’s what I got out of it.
- Donald Trump’s leaked tapes are nothing more than locker room talk. He’s not proud of it, and here’s why Hillary can’t run the country.
- Trump has taken fine advantage of the loopholes in the tax system. However, he has knowledge of this because he hangs out with rich people. That’s what they do. Including Hillary (I believe him on this one).
- The Affordable Care Act has several benefits that can be built upon. Repealing such would be a step backward.
- Russia is trying to rig the U.S. Presidential Election. This is the reason why WikiLeaks produced the DNC document.
- There has to be a balance between public and private efforts to be successful. Hillary cuts President Lincoln and the 13th Amendment as her inspiration for this.
- Trump is going to (insert here).
- A special prosecutor will be assigned to look into the “33,000 emails Hillary Clinton deleted after she was subpoenaed by Congress” if Trump is elected President.
- If Trump was already President, then Hillary would be in jail.
- Trump has more respect for women than anyone else.
- Hillary has done a lot for the African-American community.
- Hillary is proud of Trump’s children.
- Trump admires the fight in Hillary (I thought she didn’t have enough “STAM-I-NAA” for the job).
As it sits, these are the two options that have the most chance being elected President of the United States. While Gary Johnson has a substantial following, he may not have enough support to win this election. The electoral college has made sure a two-party system will stay in place. Right now, both parties are struggling (though,admittedly, the Republican party is almost broken). A vote for a third party may be a vote for Donald Trump. That’s what President Obama believes.
As an American, I am embarrassed.
I’m completely ashamed this is the best we could produce for presidential candidates. While I do believe Hillary is hands down the better choice in terms of running this country, she has her issues as well. I don’t think she’s as vile as some believe. However, she’s a career politician which turns a lot of people off. On the flipside, we have a very brash man that spits out extreme nonsense at every turn.
Both did not produce any thought-provoking plans to change the problems we face.
Hillary stated this election is crucial because we will be writing major pieces of legislation. She’s right. The fight for racial and economic equality. Securing our borders. The Syrian refugee crisis. Foreign policy. The Second Amendment and those on the no-fly zone list. All of these and more are issues that need to be addressed. The question I’m left with after watching this debate?
How are we going to attempt to fix these things? What‘s the plan?
I walked into this debate with these questions, and I’m leaving it with the same wonderment.
America, we need to do better. Much, much better.
A Fresh Voice 