1st 2016 Presidential Debate
“Why the 2016 presidential debates really matter”
Summary: In the article "Why the 2016 Presidential Debates Really Matter", Julian Zelizer explains the potential impact this year’s debates could have on the electorate. Beginning on Monday night, candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will take control of national television in a series of debates that is likely to be heated and of more importance than usual for three main reasons. Political experts thought that Trump should have fallen behind in the polls long ago, and yet it is still a close tie between him and a woman with experience, demonstrating that the electorate is not voting according to traditional standards. In addition, the sheer number of voters the debates will likely reach thanks to social media should increase the influence the debates have. Both candidates have previously demonstrated extreme skill of controlling the cameras, and thus the debates will likely be an incredibly lively and riveting performance to win over voters for November, making these debates more momentous than usual because of their ability to swing the election.
Connection: As the November elections approach, voters must make an effort to be educated on the policies and character of the candidates. The countdown has began and it is up to the public to decide who is the best choice for the presidency. These debates will serve as a current example of how our government functions and runs the election process for the executive branch.
Questions:
Will this debate be taken seriously or will it turn into a catfight as candidates try to slash each other?
Do these debates actually have any power to swing votes or is the electorate already set in voting for their party candidate?
What role will the media play in these debates in comparison to past years?
These debates will become the biggest all out brawl in politics since Congress' shut down in 2013 over Obamacare. Both candidates are very well versed in handling (and manipulating) the media, which will make these debates a complete joke (as the debates will devolve into petty attacks on each candidates character). If we look at the Republican and Democratic debates from this year's primaries we can get a good idea of how bad these debates will be. The GOP debates were full of middle school insults, like "little Marco" and Trump referencing that he even though his hand were small he "had no problem" down there, that prevented any really debating from happening. The DNC debates were not much better as Hillary was constantly asked about her emails and character, preventing people from actually learning about her stance on important issues. These upcoming debates will be just as bad, as we have already seen no moderator can control Donald Trump (you know it's bad when Fox News says Matt Lauer did a great job interviewing Trump) and Hillary is not asked about policy but instead health and emails. The debates will just be a twitter feud in real life, as like Zelizer points out, these debates do not even matter in the grand scheme of things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrew's response. As Donald Trump has proved to the public in the past months, he will focus on insulting Clinton throughout the debates, rather than debating real policy issues. Therefore I do not believe the debates will swing any votes. Donald Trump's inappropriate commentary, as Andrew mentioned, will lead to Clinton constantly defending herself. Since this will infringe on Clinton's opportunity to speak about important issues and her plans, it will leave room for Trump to discuss his own plans. However, Trump continues to change his position and lacks solidified ideas to promote change making it unlikely for him to discuss any policies. Overall these debates will not be powerful enough to swing votes, but will be entertaining and well covered by the media. So, though the candidates themselves may not discuss their stances on issues, the media will have plenty of opportunity to discuss each candidate, and may provide more information about their ideas than Trump and Clinton themselves.
DeleteI agree with Andrew and Julia that the debate, for the most part, will be relatively uninformative of each candidates positions on issues, and will instead turn into an insult competition. Additionally, I also predict that Trump will try to center the debate around himself and control the debate by attacking Hillary and attempting to leave her without room for response. Furthermore, I feel that Hillary will also attempt to attack Trump in an effort to retaliate and thus each candidates stances on important issues are overlooked. However, I hope to see that the debate mediators will control the situation and see that each candidate expresses a productive response to each question.
DeleteThe media in this years debate will prover to be a powerful tool for these candidates to build from. Trump utilizes Twitter to release his personal views, thus increasing his "appeal" to the common man. Furthermore, the media itself will allow both candidates an easy opportunity to slander their opponent unlike past years. Additionally, the media will provide major focus on the candidates, thus increasing screen time as well as increasing scrutiny. Media will serve as a tool to raise one candidate's chances and damage the others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gray. The media has been far more influential in the political process this year than in any other, and has had significant effects on both candidates. Due to the sensationalism of the media, the election has become based on style rather than substance. As a result, the media has emphasized what sounds most outrageous rather than what is most relevant. This has detracted from the quality of the election and from the policy positions of both candidates.
DeleteI agree with Gray in saying that the media is going to play a crucial role in this upcoming election. The article states that "65% report receiving their news from digital sources" which shows that many people will easily believe what is being portrayed online. Social media makes it easier for people to obtain information whether or not it's credible. Overall the media is going to influence individual's perspectives on both candidates and their policies.
DeleteI agree that the media is a powerful tool, and both candidates love it, despite what Trump likes to say. However, I think Trump's rash statements on Twitter cause many to dislike him because his ideas are no longer filtered. He can say whatever he wants, and while that is great for free speech, it is very damaging to his image. This article from The New York Times shows what kind of Twitter rants Trump can go on: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/01/us/politics/donald-trump-alicia-machado.html?_r=0
DeleteI agree with gray in that the media has allowed both candidates to better express their political views, but has also been used to highlight many of the candidates biggest flaws. This includes leaking many of Trump's private documents, and exposing his temper through many of his tweets. In this election, the media is working both towards and against both candidates, as it helps spread bad press about both individuals and puts a stronger focus on the presidential race. I also think that many citizens' dislike for both candidates is contributing to which candidate is the "lesser of two evils", and the media is helping those undecided choose which candidate they want to support.
DeleteThe debate consistently attracts attention throughout the country, which would support the assumption that these debates act as game changers in the election, but the impact of debates is actually often inconsequential. First off, these debates occur late in the campaign, at which point many have already pledged their allegiance to a candidate. During the televised debate the effect of actually swinging votes is very rare because party loyalty affects who they think won the debate. The debate is simply going to be an amusing televised sensation in which supporters will nod on at their favored candidate. In the situation of our current candidates, it has been seen that they are both fairly even matched and as seen in past debates candidates tend to fight to a draw.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dominic, in recent times debates have been steadily attracting attention. This attraction causes people to believe that they are highly influential in the presidential election when in reality they have little impact on it. By the time debates occur, many will stoutly follow one of the candidates and will already be backing them which is why the debates are for nothing else but entertainment.
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DeleteI agree with Dominic as well, the debates occur so late in the election process that most people already know who they are going to vote for. The only time they do seem to be significant are when trying to win over individuals who are stuck in between two candidates, which is rare and inconsequential due to the limited amount of people that are in this position. Additionally, each candidate's policies and plans that are being discussed during the debate have been mentioned before and don't tend to be new topics, so if supporters haven't changed their minds by now on which candidate they favor, then they most likely won't do it once the debate is over.
DeleteI also agree with Dominic. I think that debates have been attracting more attention now. While there are many people that simply watch and support their favored candidate, I do think that it does have the power to swing votes. For independent candidates who are not yet sure, the points that the candidates make can help with final decision. It may not significantly affect the election, but it can help with the candidate's credibility/competency.
DeleteI agree with Dominic that at that point in the campaign, many people have already made up their minds as to who they are going to vote for. Party loyalty will generally affect one's opinion of who won the debate and in the end few voters will actually change their minds based on each candidates performance.
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