What to make of the Trump-Biden debacle? A Wichita debate coach weighs in
Like many high school debate coaches, Michael Harris assigned his Wichita East High School students to watch Tuesday’s presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
About 10 minutes in, he wished he hadn’t.
“All of us (debate coaches) are watching on social media and just shaking our heads like, ‘Why did we do this?’” said Harris, a three-time Kansas Debate Coach of the Year who also teaches public speaking at Newman University.
“Watching that with children you have to wonder: Has democracy already failed? Is this the best representation of democracy? . . .
“Most people vote for a president who represents some sort of values or ideals or ethic. Watching last night, we gotta think that we’re in a scary spot.”
The 90-minute brawl, reminiscent more of Jerry Springer than Abe Lincoln, prompted plenty of discussion among East High’s advanced debate students Wednesday morning, Harris said. But the talk wasn’t about policy points or traditional debate strategy.
It was, as for most of us: What the heck happened there?
Trump ran roughshod over Biden and moderator Chris Wallace — interrupting, heckling, taunting and shouting over his opponent and ignoring any attempts to return to agreed-upon rules and decorum.
Biden, frustrated and flustered, called Trump a liar and a clown. After appeals to Wallace to get regain control of the oratory train wreck — all of them unsuccessful — he eventually just shook his head and delivered the most memorable quote of the evening: “Will you shut up, man?”
“I think everybody was sympathetic to Biden, but gah,” Harris said. “It seems so unpresidential to stand up onstage at a presidential debate and tell the other guy to shut up.”
But that’s where we are. That’s what America got last night — a crass, lowbrow, inconsiderate shouting match that did nothing to advance our understanding of either candidate or their vision for the future.
There was a whole lot of talking, bellowing, insulting and squawking, and precious little substance.
“One of the first questions I ask my kids every semester is: What is effective communication? Define what that looks like,” Harris said.
“One of the images I show them is two people with bullhorns screaming at each other, and their answer is always, ‘That’s not effective communication.’ Why not? ‘Because nobody is listening.’
“You can’t change somebody’s mind if you’re not listening to them and having an actual discussion. If you’re just yelling at each other and yelling over each other, nobody’s getting anything out of it.”
The rap-battle scenes in “Hamilton” — with their mic drops, personal barbs and “Bend over, I’ll show you where my shoe fits” — were more civilized and courteous than the Trump-Biden Show.
Had Tuesday’s presidential debate been a high school competition, someone would have been disqualified.
“If I had a freshman walk into a policy debate that has a set structure . . . and they just decided to do what they want, they lose the round. It just wouldn’t be tolerated,” Harris said.
“The judges . . . would simply look at the rules of the debate and the instructions I gave them, and they would say . . . ‘You know, if you didn’t follow the rules, you lose.’”
Democracy lost last night. So did decency and decorum. It was a shameful display and a painful lesson for us all — not just debate students.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 3:49 PM.
