In a normal presidential debate (ie. one prior to the 2016 election cycle), if the words “Would you shut up, man?” were uttered by a candidate on the debate stage, it would have been the soundbite of the night and would likely have grave consequences for said candidate. When former Vice President Joe Biden interjected with these words steeped in frustration, it felt as though something nearly everyone watching had been dying to shout in President Trump’s face for years had finally been cut loose.
I am a native Floridian and, as a resident of a perennially swing state, I have been a registered voter since my 18th birthday. Florida’s swing state status is well known and as such both parties campaign heavily across the state throughout history. In 2000, the presidential election results came down to a very tense Florida recount; so tense in fact that Bush and Gore were separated by less than 550 votes! With the knowledge that the election’s final call could come down to just 537 Florida votes, it has always been a priority of mine to be an informed voter.
As any American intending to engage with their civic duties diligently would do, I too tried to endure through the first presidential debate of the 2020 election… and what a task that was. In an ideal world, these globally broadcast presidential debates should represent the best that American politics have to offer. However, after watching the 2016 debates that were hallmarked by Trump calling Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman”, my expectations were understandably low. Against the odds, this debate performance somehow managed to crawl under the bar I had mentally set for myself. The entire debate felt more like an unhinged argument between a classroom bully and the teacher trying to get a word in edgewise, or simply a shouting contest to see whose voice could drown out the others most frequently. The moderator, Fox News journalist Chris Wallace, was forced to intervene repeatedly. His voice must have been hoarse by the end of the night solely from the amount of times he had to cry “Please, Mr. President!” to attempt to stifle the constant barrage of insults and interruptions from Trump. While Biden was not a faultless candidate, Wallace later admitted that President Trump ‘bears the primary responsibility’ for the chaos that the debate was plunged into.
Over the past four years, I have frequently found myself surprised by Trump’s actions. From the travel ban for the seven Muslim-majority countries back in 2017 to constantly refusing to denounce white supremacist groups – I, like many other Americans, find myself exasperated and growing increasingly frustrated by the state of American politics. Now in the middle of a pandemic that has taken the lives of 200,000 Americans as well as following a summer of historic protests, America needs time to heal. As a country, we need to be given the chance to go and lick our wounds; to scoop up and care for the people whose lives have been changed from unemployment, poor immigration policies, Covid-19, and the racial inequality that is running rife through the country. The recent debate made it clear beyond any doubt that Donald Trump is not the man to entrust the presidency of this wounded and deeply divided country. It will fall to my fellow swing state voters to ensure this man does not serve another term.
As an American citizen living overseas, I have had the chance to experience first-hand how other countries view the United States and its politics. The 2016 presidential election was the first in which I was eligible to vote. I vividly remember the discussions I had with my British and international housemates about our expected outcomes of the election after returning from the American embassy in London to post my absentee ballot. Now, four years later, I approach this election season with the same solemnity and severity that I had when I walked into my kitchen’s flat the morning of November 4th, 2016 when a Swiss housemate brought me a copy of the day’s newspaper and simply said, “I’m sorry”.
This election offers America the chance to regain its respect internationally and to slowly heal our deep political divides, but we have to vote to make that happen.
Words by Taylor Ogle
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