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Health & Fitness

Debates Hold Too Much Power Ahead of Election Day

There appears to be very little political purpose to the televised debates beyond the verbal jousting and image curating.

Presidential debates can be confusing for even the most policy savvy members of society. With all the hollow promises and vague answers, there appears to be very little political purpose to the televised debates beyond the verbal jousting and image curating.

Yet, it feels like these three debates have played the biggest role in the election so far. This year isn’t the first year either. I have had the ability to see two debates in the United States as well as a couple at home in the United Kingdom. 

Since the last debate at Hofstra University, the election campaigns for President Barack Obama and challenge Mitt Romney have gone relatively quiet. This was partly caused by the horrible hurricane that blew through New York, but also because the presidential debates hold too much power in election season. 

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Yes, it is a valuable platform for the candidates to flaunt themselves like prize pooches at a dog show, but, beyond that, there is very little that can be gained from the televised debates for the average American.

The importance of the debate format to this rapidly approaching Election Day is shown in the spread of the debate format outside the United States.

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For the first time in the country's history, Great Britain held its first televised debates during the general election in 2010. There were three held with the three major television networks (BBC, ITV & Sky) sharing the broadcasting rights.

It is widely accepted that Gordon Brown would have lost the British election with or without a debate. However his jowly physical appearance and grumpy old man performance throughout the debates clearly played a role in the voters decision to turn away from the Labour Party and vote Conservative. The idea of image is the same one that, four years ago in this country, hampered John McCain’s run for Presidency simply because of his limited movement.

One should be concerned that the format, which began with John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon on September 26, 1960, and has since become so important to the electoral process of two countries, is playing such a large role in an election that more than ever needs to be fought on issues. Instead of extended discussion about the candidates plans for dealing with global warming or the ever growing debt, we are destined to remember that blame game played over the horrific events in Benghazi or the name calling over taxes.

This is the effect that played out in the UK with the introduction of televised debates. It is not necessarily even the candidate’s fault. Much like gladiators in ancient Rome they are simply playing the game to win. The debate format brings out the worst aspects in people; aggression, bullying and in some cases deliberate slander.

A study done after the 2008 Presidential debates by social science publication American Behavioral Scientist showed that the debates had an effect on people’s opinion of the candidates’ images. It also showed a change in semantic differentials such as a candidate’s qualification for the job.

The debates also provide one of the few times major media outlets can give tangible data on a candidate’s standing. After the conclusion of each debate there was a rush to declare the “winner” of these sparring contests.  Rather than analyze the content of each candidate’s words, the rush was to crown a debate king. This practically negated the two weeks of campaigning that has followed. 

Clearly, the debate format is here to stay. That it has spread to other countries is evidence of its permanent ability. But before going into the voting booth on Tuesday, remember there is more to both candidates than the calm, cool, camera-ready presentations we saw two weeks ago.

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