“Reasons Why I Want An Hour And A Half Of My Life Back”

***Disclaimer*** This article, published under the Opinions Column of The Carroll Times, is purely the opinion of an Archbishop John Carroll student on the recent Presidential Debate.

It was all old news from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY last Monday night, as two Presidential candidates stepped behind the debate podiums. Though the crowd was prompted to be quiet for the sake of keeping the debate geared away from juvenile distractions and focused on the issues, this did not seem to make much of a difference.

Both Clinton and Trump spent their time on stage making accusations, mockeries, snide comments, and interruptions. Clinton’s platform was based on traditional Democratic ideals, such as education, clean energy, and high taxation on the wealthy to decrease the taxes of the lower and middle classes. She also incorporated more socialist-reminiscent material as well, such as income inequality, free college education, and “profit-sharing”. A part of this was no doubt to reign in the inflamed Sanders loyalists, whose opposition to her has been intense, especially after the events of the Democratic National Convention came to light. Clinton’s most notable aspect of her stage presence was the constant disdain she held for both Trump and the level of truth in his facts. Because of this, she came across as entirely condescending and smug, not erudite.

Trump made only vague references toward ideas never fully explained, and spent a lot of time criticizing Clinton and her ideas. His approach to the debate was apparently to spew interjections and interruptions into her statements whenever he thought possible, without being thrown off of the stage for his misconduct. His main points were those of lowering taxes on the rich as a form of trickle-down economics, increasing law enforcement funds, forging new trade deals, and not releasing his tax returns until Clinton releases her deleted emails from the Benghazi incident - a comparison he definitely should not have made. His constant rudeness and belligerence made any attempt to view the debate as a legitimate and historical event impossible.

Watching this debate would have perhaps been entertaining, if it weren’t between two incompetent people who are vying for control over our nation. The next Presidential Debate is scheduled to be held on October 9th, and the Vice-Presidents’ Debate on October 4th. God willing, next time, I will not be completely disgusted by what I see.