OPINION: Thursday’s Democratic Debate produced no winners this time
Opinion writer Matthew Geiger, a freshman studying economics, explains why last week’s Democratic Debate was an embarrassment that contained the same rhetoric voters have heard before.
[dropcap txtcolor="#234a83"]T[/dropcap]hursday night’s debate showcased the worst part of our democracy: Presidential election season.Former Vice President Joe Biden struggles to complete a sentence. Sen. Bernie Sanders sounds like he has mono. Sen. Amy Klobuchar botches her overly-rehearsed lines. Welcome to the Democratic Debate — a sad window into the state of our fractured republic.We learned nothing new Thursday night. Everyone knows that the 10 candidates on stage are either too old to live another eight years or are political opportunists, seeking to further their milquetoast brand of politics. It was sad. Honestly, the host of the circus, ABC, might have been the biggest loser. Like every other debate up to this point, the commentary before, during and after the event was so mundane and unimportant.America, how did we get here? Why do we accept the horse race that is presidential election season? Do we really even learn anything from a 60 second response or some catchy zinger fired across the stage?The answer is no.[AdSense-A]What makes the entire event so much worse is the consistent competition of how well everyone can say the exact same thing in the prettiest way. The only noticeable disagreement was over healthcare, which mainly centered around who wanted to control everyone’s lives more, by debating the merits of eliminating the entire private healthcare sector. Even with this slight divergence in opinion, the candidates still failed to put forward well-thought-out answers and responses on the subject. This divide, if we can even call it that, was put on display when Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro attacked Biden on the opt-in and opt-out portions of their plans. Castro, trying to raise his low-polling numbers, accused Biden of flip-flopping from one of his previous statements that night. “I’m fulfilling the legacy of Barack Obama, and you’re not,” Castro said. The exchange was pointless and was essentially a fruitless exercise of a posturing candidate trying to break through.The most memorable moment from the democratic primary debate was an exchange between two candidates talking past each other with little difference between their plans. America, we deserve better. Thursday night’s debate was a slap in the face to voters. If the best we have is a group of self-serving pretty faces, then what’s the point?Editor's Note: A previous version of this article cited statistics from an unreliable source.Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.