It hardly seemed like a dispute between politicians vying for the presidency of the United States. It was the first direct televised debate between President Donald Trump of the Republican Party and former Vice President Joe Biden of the Democratic Party.
When Trump interrupted him by demanding to know whether he was fine with the radical left, Biden dismissed him by asking, “Would you shut up, man?”
When Biden criticized him by saying, “Everybody knows he’s a liar,” Trump retorted, “Joe, you’re the liar.”
Not long after it began, the debate descended into chaos, and the moderator was consistently unable to handle the exchange of personal attacks.
Trump’ showed a conspicuous disregard for the rules. He did not listen to Biden, and reiterated lies and slander. One could not discern any presidential dignity at all. It was a spectacle without precedent.
Debates are opportunities for candidates to fully explain their polices and for voters to carefully consider which one is right for the office based on their personal qualities and positions.
In the past, there have been some famous contests that determined the outcome of the election. It is a part of the democratic process that is unique to America.
There is a mountain of issues worth debating – measures to deal with COVID-19, economic problems, reform of the health care system, etc. For voters trying to pick their candidate by listening to this debate, it was nothing but a disappointment.
Some predict that the November presidential election will descend into turmoil. They fear that it will take time to count the votes due to the large-scale mail-in voting in place due to the pandemic.
The nightmare could come true: a unilateral declaration of victory is made before the outcome is known, a legal battle develops, supporters of both sides clash in the street.
In the debate, Trump did not hide his divisive and inflammatory attitude. He did not condemn radical white supremacy and criticized the violence seen at demonstrations protesting discrimination against Black people. Some say that the hasty nomination to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court seat is meant to prepare for coming lawsuits involving the election.
Russia and China must be laughing. It is said that the aims of Russia’s cyberattacks on the 2016 presidential election were to weaken American democracy and to rattle the existing international order.
Hasn’t this debate laid bare the degradation of American politics? If American authority is diminished, the international community, including Japan, will not be able to escape the effects.
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