The Mourning After
Out of respect for the presumed solemnity of the event I actually donned a dress shirt and tie for the first presidential debate of the 2020 election season. It was the first time in seven months I got that decked out – a measure of how little my life over that time has called for anything but dress casual. Of course it was a bit of ritual on my part. But then isn’t this what a debate is supposed to be – the ritual of a country going through the deliberative process of deciding its future? Voting is a sacred act. It represents the highest capacities of human character – respect for the ability of people 18-years old and above to decide the kind of country that they/we live in. Obviously people bring very different capacities to the process. All it takes is a few outtakes from “undecided” voters in a panel assembled to watch the debates to realize, once again, how wide-flung peoples’ judgments are. That’s the price of living in a democracy: respect for difference, faith in aggregate opinion, and a commitment to the rules and regulations for moving forward. The first debate, staged in Cleveland and involving...Read more