If you are like I am, you tuned into the Republican debate this past Thursday. If you are like I am, you were appalled.
In response to those I thought were poignant and legitimate questions raised by hosts Baier, Kelly and Wallace, I saw some legitimate political conduct given by nine of the 10 candidates. By this, I generally mean that I think they stuck to their conservative platforms, remained civil and structured in their responses and, of course, threw too much ideology into the mix. But never had I ever thought that I’d be watching Donald Trump debate on an actual political platform. I half expected, at the end of the debate, Megyn Kelly to deliver a stern, “You're fired,” to him, the wind-down music to play and curtains to close. While I, like everyone else, got a kick out of the show, I also was left deeply disturbed, mainly by the fact that my overall impression of it was much less a debate and very much so a show.
What has American politics come to? We now apparently live in a day and age where watching a debate in which a supposed politician claiming political correctness to be overrated is reinforced with a cheer from the audience. Is it not political correctness in a political debate for a reason? When Trump harped on a wall that will keep illegal immigrants out of the country, Rubio (in true political fashion) pointed out the obvious: a wall doesn’t cover underground tunnels like the one drug cartel head El Chapo most recently used to escape a high security prison. Opinions on immigration policy aside, Trump missed the point.
Despite the obvious problems our country would face if someone of Trump’s negligence and inability to see problems below their surfaces were elected into office, there remains a larger problem. If you were to simply google “GOP Debate” right now, almost every image and headline is of Trump—despite the valid political performances of nine other candidates. After seeing first hand the absurdity of Trump’s conduct, and then hearing and seeing headlines that positively reinforce it, I have to wonder how many Americans have come to respect what would have been seen a short while ago as a political travesty. Is it our country’s obsession with reality television? Is the only way to keep our population engaged on issues to turn them into a form of entertainment?
Perhaps there is an even larger issue to address here. Perhaps the acceptance of American politics turned entertainment stems from a sense of helplessness, of discouragement. I can see how some Americans being so fed up with the way government is or isn’t run leads them to externalizing our the political system. If one doesn’t believe they can change it, why get involved, why get thoroughly invested?
I think Winston Churchill told it best when he said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” Democracy requires the voices of every citizen; democracy is representative. Right now, it seems as though an overwhelmingly unanimous voice of the people is turning a back on true politics. So while it is revealing an ugly truth on the poor faith many Americans have invested in our political system, it alternatively is making the problem evident. What we do about it from here on out is up to us. But for starters, educating ourselves on the issues and building opinions not based on entertainment outlet headlines is a good place to begin.
