I went into this last presidential debate expecting nothing from it and still ended disappointed. The lack of substantial discussion on policies, the pandering towards people living in oil-country, and the absence of any sort of fact-checking did not make me confident that this debate helped change anyone’s mind on who they would vote for in this upcoming election. 

Immediately after the end of the debate, our inept commander in chief started waving the victory flag, he was delusional about his supposed victory. The only thing that Trump beat Biden on was telling lies and spreading misinformation. The New York Times kept a fact-checking list of statements made by both candidates during the debate. Trump said over thirty-eight misleading or false statements compared to Biden’s two misleading or exaggerated statements. Much like in the first debate, Trump continued to lie. The fact that the Commision on Presidential Debates (CPD) and the moderators do not fact check candidates live is a missed opportunity for the advancement of truth. 

This final debate was definitely more bearable than the last one. It wasn’t much, but at least this time I was not compelled to stick my head in a blender and turn it on. The previous debate was, to put it mildly, a train wreck. Trump constantly talked over Biden and spouted out his excrement of lies. Meanwhile Chris Wallace seemed to be more of a horse wrangler rather than a moderator as he tried to keep Trump on topic, and Biden did not fight back as much as he should have.

The last debate was such a debacle that the CPD had to implement mute buttons in the latest debate. The mute button was a welcome change that maintained a semblance of order. Despite this, the lack of a team of live fact checkers proved once again that these debates are useless.

One of many false claims made by Trump was his statement that the virus just “goes away” in young patients, despite the fact that we know this is not the case. Americans need strong leadership and an appropriate response to this pandemic. Trump is not that leader, and his response has been lacking, to say the least. He takes no responsibility for his wrongdoings. In fact, once again, the President of the United States shifted responsibility and claimed that “it’s not my fault that it [the virus] came here; it’s China’s fault.” His complete lack of accountability should alarm any sensible individual who is aware of what is going on. Over 200,000 lives have been lost due to Trump’s response to the pandemic, and all he does is try to shift the blame. We need someone who is accountable for their actions in the White House, not someone who acts like a child and doesn’t take responsibility for their actions. 

At different points throughout the debate, Trump said that he had a healthcare plan that was almost ready. He has been saying this for the past four years, and it is just one of many examples of this administration’s lies. The president also said that he would release his tax returns once their audit was finished, a condition which does not impede their release. If you still believe that Trump will release his tax returns willingly, or show his plan on healthcare, please get in touch with me — I have some snakeoil to sell to you. 

The post-debate commentary was that Trump had a “softer tone” and was “a lot more restrained.” Is this a joke? At times it seems that for some the problem with Trump is not that his policies and actions are racist, and that he continues to enrich himself and his family through the use of his position. They have a problem with his tone. Just because he is not parading himself in full Nazi uniform does not mean that his actions are not fascist. He is a wannabe authoritarian and the fact that political commentators turned around after the debate to say that he had a nicer tone this time around is laughable. 

Trump wasn’t the only one with bad policy takes. Biden continued to offer a lackluster response when it came to climate change. His inadequate response to fracking in the previous debate resulted in support for a ban on fracking to fall among Democrats after the previous debate. Biden continues to insist that he will listen to scientists and is using it as a talking point in his campaign. Well, scientists know the negative effects that fracking has on the environment. We know that fracking is bad. A ban on fracking would be good for the health of Americans and an appropriate measure to combat climate change. Any response towards combating climate change would be better than what the current administration is doing, but if we want to actually have a positive impact on the environment, we have to shoot for the stars. 

The fact that the bare minimum is the best that the Democratic candidate is showing makes me want to say, “C’mon.” It isn’t like “radical policies” like the Green New Deal are unpopular. Over 60% of Americans are in favor of a “Green New Deal to address climate change by investing government money in green jobs and energy efficient infrastructure.” The Green New Deal is as popular as legalizing marijuana nationally. These are common sense policies that should not be up for debate. 

Another common sense policy that the Biden campaign continues to distance themselves from despite the popularity of these ideas is medicare for all. This pandemic is an example as to why relying on employer-based healthcare is not the best way to address healthcare access in the United States. Over 10 million Americans were kicked off their employer-based health insurance during the pandemic and Biden’s plan would do little to help them. Healthcare is a human right, and the fact that the Biden campaign is shying away from a common sense approach to healthcare continues to be dumbfounding. 

Throughout the debate, one thought continued to bubble up: who is still undecided? How, after four years of this presidency, are people still unsure as to who should be in the White House? How, after the rise of corruption and nepotism, are people still considering who is the best option between a fascist or a semi-competent politician? 

I know that Joe Biden is not the most exciting politician. I know the fact that knowing we could have had someone like Bernie Sanders, who brought with him the promise of real change, and instead ended with someone that is just okay, can be discouraging. We are at the edge of the precipice, and you have the power to steer us away from falling into the abyss that is totalitarianism. Make an informed decision, not only about who is going to be our next president, but about who is going to be representing our interest in our local elections. Make your voice be heard. If we want to have any voice in what the future of our country should look like, we have to make ourselves be seen and heard. Early and youth voting is at an all time high this year, but we can’t let this be a one-and-done type situation. We have to continue showing up. We have to continue to demand better from our politicians.