If you woke up this morning with a sharp headache, and it’s just getting worse during your work day, you’re not alone. Last night’s Presidential debate, the first of 3 debates this election season, is driving the conversations this morning.
Let’s not pretend that debates in the last several cycles stand in scale with the great exchanges of ideas in our nation’s history. I mean, we certainly haven’t been witnesses to the Lincoln-Douglas Debates.
Neither President Trump nor Vice President Biden is being lauded today for grand ideas or substantive proposals. We’re not talking about the causes of their campaigns, we’re talking about how they delivered quick shots, harmful blows and the dominating meme of a candidate for the nation’s highest office blurting “shut up, man.”
But none of that is really a surprise. In his 2018 book Suicide of the West, author Jonah Goldberg evaluates the rapid move toward tribalism and populism in the past several years. Goldberg does a deep dive into the growing tendencies of individuals and groups to identify each other through an us vs. them paradigm. The ultimate threat of this tribe mentality is the natural endgame that develops from tribes: a strongman chieftain.
Last night’s debate was difficult for any moderate to watch. But for the tribes, the bases of each candidate, it held certain visions of chaotic beauty typically reserved to the days of gladiator combat in roman amphitheaters.
And in that vein, each candidate delivered on their goals for the day. Frankly, what most are dismissing as an embarrassment is exactly what we should have expected in this age of tribalism – and regardless of the distaste we are experiencing, each side played their part masterfully.
Saddled with a lingering image of enervation, Vice President Biden, the ever-approachable, avuncular guy-next-door, absolutely had to prove he could stand toe-to-toe with a certified brawler. President Trump, not needing to concern himself with likability, did not err by constantly interrupting Mr. Biden, rather he drew the match into the deep end of the mud pit. Those two, extremely simplified goals, are all either needed to accomplish last night.
For those of us in the advocacy/political sphere, the presidential election process is usually akin to watching the NFL playoffs. Last night, it was more like watching a bar fight. And this morning, we are experiencing the hangover of cheap beer and icing the black eyes left by errant jabs. But, it’s time to shake off the fog and get back to your agenda.
Advocacy continues despite the 24 hour news cycle. It continues in the face of hyper-partisan analysis. And it continues regardless of the strong man nature of current politics.
I’m hopeful the pendulum will swing back toward decorum in our discourse. But until we make that happen at our own level, how can we expect politicians to hold themselves to the same standard?
Tomorrow I’ll be continuing the blog with my regularly scheduled weekly post – focused on the role of local congressional district offices. I hope it will be a palate cleanser and help you refocus. In the mean time here are two ideas on how we can improve ourselves when engaging in politics publicly. I hope you’ll share your own thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
Two ways to hold ourselves to a higher standard:
Eliminate anonymity from the internet. Let’s make a concerted effort to own what we say on-line. And let’s recruit others to do the same. If you have to hide behind an anonymous twitter egg, you’re probably not helping the political process move past tribalism.
Commit to having one discussion per month with someone who opposes your agenda. This one will be hard – however, by the mere effort of beginning to break bread with one another, we may just find some avenues to work toward the ideals we espouse as a nation.
I’m hopeful that putting last night’s spectacle into proper perspective will allow us to move past the experience. We have two more debates this cycle. The performances can be infuriating these days, but we can also leverage the attention they bring to advance our own agendas. Take some action, tactfully, to bring the conversation back around to your just cause. Engage your neighbors productively, and let’s start by holding ourselves to a higher standard.
Part of the Possible 