The television screens are lit. The crowd is electric. The moderator is ready. The opponents are waiting in the wings.

The time: Monday, Sept. 26, 2016.

The place: Hofstra University.

The event: the first presidential debate of 2016.

AKA: the most disappointing event of the year.  

We at the Courier have spent most of the past week asking ourselves, “What happened in that first debate?” This was supposed to be an exciting and educational debate, one we expected to be for the books. Instead, it was an outlet for our presidential candidates to make fools of themselves and us for wasting an hour and a half of our lives.

Our biggest issue with whatever it was that occurred that night was with the blatant lack of information given to the viewers. Instead of treating the debate as an actual forum for spreading their thoughts on the differing policies, the candidates turned it into an immature fight. Whether this was them attempting to entertain their fans, or because they are simply unable to debate together, it was a major disappointment.

While Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are completely responsible for the way they acted during the debate, we believe that the moderator, Lester Holt, enabled their child-like antics. At first Holt showed promise. If a candidate answered vaguely or made clearly false claims, he would follow up with another question either asking them to explain said answer, or more often he would correct them. However, as we all settled into the debate routine, Holt lost control. He let both candidates talk over each other, often to the point where the viewers had trouble hearing the initial answer. He also gave in to both candidates giving more than their fair or responses, ultimately leaving many of the public’s questions unanswered. Because of his leeway, there were many policies never touched on and many questions left unasked.

There are two presidential debates left before the election. We as a country need to expect certain things from these coming events, and we need to voice these expectations.

We at the Courier have a couple major changes we are hoping to see this month. The first, and most major, is policy discussion. We want both candidates to speak at greater lengths on their education, economic, and health care policies. While all policies affect us as citizens correctly, these are a few major ones that affect us as students and young adults directly.

We also want to see thoughtfulness in the debates. It’s essential as a president that you think before you speak, and that you bring up points you haven’t mentioned before. However, it’s also essential not to sound robotic. Don’t recite the same line over and over again in your debates. Don’t scream the same word over and over again mindlessly. Be human, and people will at least take the time to listen to you.

There is a serious level of disrespect that is clear through the actions of both candidates, both from this debate but this election season as a whole.  This is disrespect not only for the electoral process, but also for the voters who are tirelessly trying to make their nation grow into a better one (whatever that might mean for them).

It’s an unspoken rule that it’s your civic duty to watch these events. Historically, this idea has made a lot of sense. It’s important for people to know who could be the next president. This person will be in charge of our country for four years, and it’s not unreasonable for us to know what he or she is about.

However, if the debates keep occurring in this fashion, we at the Courier think you are better off spending your time researching the candidates yourself, and drawing your conclusions from that. Listen to stump speeches, comb through their websites and watch interviews. Speak with people who share your views, and more importantly, speak with people who don’t. Make an effort to educate yourself on the topics at hand! Make an effort to be a well informed citizen, and make sure you know who and what you are voting for.