Political debates, show or tell

By: JT Shroyer

Posted: 10/6/08

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Ha! Who are we kidding? We have become a nation which not only judges a book by its cover, but when the cover is appealing and good-looking, we don't even bother opening it to read the first word. Ever since the JFK-Nixon televised debate, the American voter has become more and more obsessed with style, appearance and "relatability" over substance, experience, intelligence or policy.

It seems that Joe Six-Pack and hockey moms all over our country are voting with their feelings and are more persuaded by which candidate would be more fun to have a beer with, rather than using logic and reasoned thought to vote for the person proposing the best policies to help our country.

Style has become more important than substance, and at this moment in American history with unprecedented debt, an economy in shambles, a devastating war in Iraq, unbelievable job loss and a broken health care system, we the youth of America can not embrace or enable this trend to continue any longer. We can not treat politics like a popularity contest or even worse, a beauty pageant.

The vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin gave Americans clear insight into the two candidates, which shows each of their substance and style.

Governor Palin is the CliffsNotes version and Joe Biden is the entire book, with index, footnotes and bibliography included. During the debate, Sarah Palin showed us she is sharp and clearly able to memorize statistics, voting records and talking points - how many times did she say the word "maverick"?

She carried herself well and certainly helped her cause by only answering questions she wanted to and redirecting the ones she didn't. And at one point she even bluntly said, "And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear..." Her responses had little depth or detail and showed she has a limited understanding of domestic and foreign policy issues. She made up for this with winks, folksy charm and an insistence that she is just an average American who understands our challenges.

On the other hand, Joe Biden showed confidence and expertise on every question and issue raised during the debate. He is someone who could walk into the Oval Office without missing a beat, and would not need to cram or be brought up to speed on any issue, foreign or domestic, facing this nation.

Even after this debate, the ongoing problem Sarah Palin and John McCain have is explaining how their policies will significantly differ from the Bush Administration's. They both still believe in the trickle-down economic theory and deregulation, they both still believe the war in Iraq has helped to end terrorism and is good foreign policy, and they both still adhere to the long-standing Republican belief that "government's not the solution, it's the problem." On the other hand, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have proposed policies that would be a significant shift from these long-standing beliefs that have led our country down the path it's on now.

Of all the elections we've had, this is one of the most important. The stakes are high and we cannot allow this election to become about style, like many elections in the past have been. We can't just look at the cover; we have to look deeper, open the book and read the words. The youth has the power, numbers and energy to reverse this trend. Don't be fooled by election gimmicks, sound bites, pretty packaging and "take this country back!"

Let's be clear about one thing, John McCain did not pick the most qualified person to be a heartbeat away from the presidency and leader of the free world, he picked someone who could simply help him get elected. This is unacceptable from any candidate, from any party, at any time. And it's time for the youth of this country to stand up and send this message loud and clear. Read our lips... we demand substance over style, and our votes will reflect that on Nov. 4th.