Yes, Sunday's Debate Was The Worst in Presidential History

image
Author: David Yee
Published: 10 Oct, 2016
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
2 min read

If there was ever a time when we could actually use the term ‘worst ever,’ last night’s debate definitely applies.

Sure, it was good television viewing -- you half expected one of the candidates to pull out a sword and fall on it -- but that was the whole problem with the debate in a nutshell.

It was all too focused on the recent gaffes of both candidates, the damage control that has made it worse, and the ensuing finger pointing that was at a kindergartener’s level of ‘two wrongs making a right.’

Probably the single most telling ‘editorial’ on the debate was the Washington Time’s non-scientific, user-driven poll showing that Gary Johnson was the clear winner of the debate – though he was not even on the stage.

And while all of this makes for great sound-bites and ratings, Americans want and deserve better.

Pew Research recently found that Americans are most interested in hearing about Terrorism, the Economy, Budget Deficits, Health Care, Foreign Policy, Immigration, Gun Policy, Climate Change, SCOTUS Nominations, and Abortion, in this order, from the candidates.

This is a long list. You would think that there would be something in the list that would make almost everyone happy with the outcome of the debate.

Reviewing the transcript was abysmal when ‘grading’ the debate on what Americans found important.

When ‘locker room talk’ was a more used phrase than ‘terrorism’ or ‘terrorists’ combined, it’s indicative of the overall quality of the debate.

IVP Donate

The quality of the debate was so bad, that the following Gary Johnson quote has been tearing apart social media today, from its simple truth:

We have fallen through the looking glass. Thanks to two candidates who are each running on a platform of not being the other, we are in historically uninspiring territory. 

The media has definitely become a huge part of the problem – creating a looking glass from the pages of ancient history – taking the Roman political tactic of making sure the population is happy with circuses to a new extreme.

With less than a month to go in the election season, there’s no end in sight.

Claims, counterclaims, threats, half-truths and lies – at some point we as a nation are going to have to realize the fundamental truth about how we got into this political nightmare.

It's what happens when people vote purely for political objectives with total disregard for the actual person running for office.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/John Locher

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read