By Nadia Paschal
It’s 2024, which means it’s officially time for another presidential election. These past few years in the political sphere have been chaotic to say the least.
With controversial picks on both sides and a last-minute change for the Democratic Party, this upcoming election has constantly been covered and scrutinized by the media.
This debate featured Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump, and Democratic candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
While Trump has had plenty of time to prepare for this upcoming election, Harris only recently entered the race in July, after President Joe Biden declared that he was no longer running.
The debate covered many topics, including healthcare, the economy, abortion, immigration and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, not all questions were fully answered, and left the American people wondering what exactly these candidates’ stances were on these issues.
Much like the most recent presidential debates, when asked certain questions, politicians often skirt around the question, preferring to push their forefront beliefs and the topics or opinions they want to discuss. This tactic has not been uncommon in recent previous elections, which is concerning as these are issues that directly affect every citizen.
Politics impacts every aspect of our lives even in a smaller town like Plattsburgh, where the effects, especially economic decisions, may seem more noticeable.
Junior Molly Ryan, who will be voting for the first time come November, tuned into the debate that aired on Tuesday, and had many thoughts on what she saw. She was pleased to see that the debate featured live fact checking, which immediately disproved any false claims that were made.
“Fake news” and false stories have been rampant in the past few years, so it was refreshing to see ABC take extra precautions regarding any statements from either politician.
While Trump and Harris discussed a wide array of policies, Ryan thought that some topics were debated for too long, leaving no room for other issues.
“They really went into depth with [immigration] and I think there are bigger issues in my opinion,” Ryan said.
Ryan had hoped to see gun control being brought up, especially after yet another school shooting occurred in Georgia this week. With stories like these being published so frequently, this is an issue that plagues the whole country and causes many Americans to live in fear when doing even the most mundane activities.
Junior Jayden Dabiew also tuned into the debate, and her candidate of choice is clear.
“I think Kamala’s got this in the bag. I really think she’ll pull through hopefully,” Dabiew said.
Dabiew also said that she was inspired to see Harris running for office and strongly believes that if she’s elected she would turn the country around.
“His morals are so corrupt,” Dabiew said about Trump.
There seems to be a trend of many voters, especially younger ones, choosing not to vote or follow any political news.
Ryan urges people to vote and be politically active, and said that she has already requested an absentee ballot.
“The same people who don’t vote are the people who are going to complain when someone they don’t like wins,” Ryan said.
It’s important that voters know exactly who and what they are voting for, and follow some kind of news outlet to be aware of what is going on where they live, both locally and nationally.
“Even if you don’t know who you want to vote for, just putting a vote in really helps,” Dabiew said. [If you don’t vote] you’re kind of losing your own ability to choose.”
Political debates, especially presidential ones, should be easily accessible for all people, and both candidates should make clear stances should be made.
“I think they need to do a better job at answering the questions, because as an American citizen, you want to understand what they’re talking about,” Ryan said.
Despite many concerning statements made during the debate, it seemed somewhat more civil than the past few that we’ve seen, which is certainly an improvement.
The United States has been divided for years and hopefully, no matter who is voted into office, they will work for the greater good of the country and all of us.
