The presidential debate was supposed to instill confidence in Americans about the potential candidates vying for the role of the United States’ figurehead, but it turned out to be a showcase of a convicted felon and a man with questionable cognitive abilities. It seems that both the Democratic and Republican candidates are more concerned with their golf swings and self-indulgence than addressing the critical issues the U.S. faces. The author’s disinterest in politics seems well-founded, as the debate of this year only reinforced his reasoning. The two candidates appeared to be competing over who was worse, which is funny in a way, but as a nation, can’t we expect at least a substantiated debate among candidates with real plans for the future and solutions to the tough economic and geopolitical situations? How did our nation come to the point where we are forced to choose the lesser of two evils? In a democratic republic that should be full of pride, we have lost our sense of national pride, and for good reason. The ‘American Dream’ that was once taught to us – the one that promises prosperity and wealth with hard work – is contrasted with the stark reality of the ‘American Experience’, which portrays politics as a force that divides rather than unites, with leaders perpetuating absurdity. Memes about the presidential debate are all over social media, with the deepest, most statistical topic being Biden and Trump arguing over their golf swings. The U.S. is known for its ability to entertain, and perhaps that’s why. Entertainment keeps us complacent, comfortable with the uncomfortable, and prevents deeper questioning. It’s funny when Biden stutters, but does that justify ignoring the fraud his son was involved in? There don’t seem to be many other felons with 34 felonies running for president, but then again, most felons aren’t billionaires, and there are plenty of others in Congress who might beconvicted criminals too. We should not argue about the character of the presidential candidates, as that has already been debated, and people are too complex to be neatly categorized. However, we need to hold our democratic republic to a higher standard if we want to maintain the privileges of living in the U.S. We need people who understand what it’s like to live in the U.S. without a trust fund, and we need to be less divided and more united in understanding that regardless of one’s political views, the U.S. needs presidential candidates who don’t require compromising one’s own values to support.
Read from: https://unewsonline.com/2024/07/when-politics-turn-into-entertainment-theres-a-problem/