Elon political science students struggle to identify positives of first presidential debate

Elon University junior Katie Zimmermann struggled to identify what had gone well during the debate. She ended up hesitantly complimenting the moderator. 

Last night was the first debate leading up to the presidential election. The goal of such debates is for candidates to promote their campaigns and explain their views with the hopes of attracting more voters to their side. But, this first presidential debate consisted mostly of arguments and candidates talking over one another. 

Zimmermann, a Democrat majoring in political science and policy studies who has held internships in the field of politics, was largely disappointed by both candidates’ performances. In fact, even Zimmermann’s compliments of the debaters were concessions. For example, she believes that despite his role in the name-calling and interrupting that took place, Biden handled himself well, she said.

“I feel like it was kind of a lose-lose for Biden,” Zimmermann said. “If he stands there and he doesn’t say anything back to Trump calling him names, he’s going to be called ‘Sleepy Joe’ and weak, but then if he tells him to shut up or calls him a clown, he’s going to be called disrespectful.”

Zimmermann was more concerned by misinformation and exclusions on Donald Trump’s part. She pointed to incorrect or misleading information about the West Coast’s wildfires and the ballot system in New Jersey and his refusal to condemn white supremacy. 

This debate also stands apart from previous ones because of a visible lack of respect, Zimmermann said, considering presidential debates she watched leading up to the 2008 election. She worries how this debate reflects on America and American politics, she said.

“It’s embarrassing to be represented this way,” Zimmermann said, “especially by the president of our nation who is considered to be the leader of the free world.”

Whitney James, another Democrat political science student at Elon University, also did not have positive reviews of the first presidential debate that took place last night. Overall, she thought it was disorganized and failed to inform the public, functioning more as an argument than an effective debate, she said. 

“It was such a, honestly disastrous debate,” James said. “We really didn’t get to hear that much policy on either side or really that much of what either candidate stood for.”

Neither candidate performed well, she said. Although Biden was able to bring in policy points and defend his family in a positive way, James said that this debate might reflect badly on his ability to hold his own against Trump. She does not think that Biden succeeded in convincing undecided voters. On the other hand, Trump’s performance consisted mostly of attacks, she said. 

In all, James called the debate disheartening. She was struck by the lack of decorum and compared what she saw to the argument of preschoolers. The debate made her worried about the upcoming presidential election, and even the future of the country, she said.

“I don’t know that anyone won the debate,” James said. “I think America lost.”

Megan Allen, another political science student at Elon University who doubles as a field organizer for the Delaware Democratic Party, is also concerned by the implications of this debate.

Despite Biden’s frustrated calls for Trump to “shut up,” which she said she think’s reflected poorly on his maturity level, Allen thinks that the Democratic candidate narrowly won the debate. The one positive takeaway, she said, was the calm and firm way Biden responded to Trump’s attacks on his sons. Allen had no positive commentary about Trump’s performance and, similar to Zimmermann, was upset by how he refused to denounce white supremacy.

This country is the most polarized it’s ever been, she said, and she doesn’t know whether it will get better or worse. Additionally, Allen said that after last night’s debate, she is worried about the upcoming election and how Trump’s narratives about voter fraud will impact the proceedings.

Allen sees this debate as reflecting a larger problem in American politics: sensationalism being prioritized over productivity. The lack of decorum in this debate did not just reflect the candidates themselves, she said, but also highlighted larger flaws in the American political system.

Neither of these three political science students had many positive things to say about the election and worry about how this debate reflects larger issues for Americans. However, when asked separately to sum up the election in one word, Zimmermann, Allen and James all said the same word: chaos.