 Views & Opinions |
Views & Opinions |
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In the aftermath President Biden's disastrous performance in the first presidential debate, there's been a lot of hype for the sequel, writes former Congressman Steve Israel. The problem: Presidential debates don't actually decide elections. |
Most voters don't watch debates "and the few who do have already decided which candidate to support," he writes. Can you imagine a Trump supporter watching the debate and being so impressed with Kamala Harris that he decides to vote for her? It seems highly unlikely. Of course, the Trump-Biden bout did change this race, as Biden's performance convinced Democrats to force him to end his campaign. But "it's the exception that proves the rule," writes Israel. "The uniquely early nature of the debate, paired with the public's concern over Biden's on-stage performance, led it to make a real impact." Israel looks back at previous presidential debates and finds that those who were declared the winner often ended up losing the election. "We should be wary of the increasingly performative turn in our politics, where we focus far more on the force of a candidate's rhetoric rather than his or her policies." "There's much more on the line than style points." Read the op-ed at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Views & Opinions newsletter, it's Tuesday, Sept. 10. I'm Daniel Allott, bringing together a collection of key opinion pieces published from a wide range of voices. |
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Op-eds exploring key issues affecting the U.S. and world: |
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By Jeffrey McCall, communications professor at DePauw University |
ABC has already made one mistake by assigning two moderators to the debate, when one would do just fine. The only reason for having two moderators is so that ABC can showcase two of their high-profile anchors. That is an insufficient justification for inserting another personality to take up time and hog the focus away from the two people who might be president. |
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By Max Burns, Democratic strategist |
The race is close enough that neither candidate can afford to coast through Tuesday's big debate. While it's unlikely either Trump or Harris delivers a knock-out punch that resets the entire race, small errors can quickly add up. In swing states where a few thousand votes could determine a winner, neither candidate can afford those mistakes. |
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By Douglas Schoen, political consultant |
Far from suggesting that Harris has this race "in the bag," the data indicate that Trump may in fact be in a much stronger position than the topline, national numbers suggest. |
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By Jeremy Etelson, former Democratic staffer |
Bequeathing young and future Americans a crippling national debt, while many are already buried in student debt, is not only economically impractical and short-sighted. It is also an intergenerational moral failure. |
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Opinions related to pivotal issues and figures in the news: |
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You're all caught up. See you next time! |
Views expressed by contributors are theirs and not the opinion of The Hill. Interested in submitting an op-ed? Click here. |
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