Wow. Just. WOW.
That...was some utter nonsense. I know this post is a bit late in coming, but I needed a while to process, so thank you for your patience. I took 22 pages of notes between the two - how shall I put it? - lively debates that have happened thus far, and it took a while to figure out exactly what specific things I wanted to write about here.
The list below contains quotes that stood out to me the most from the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. It is in no particular order, but I did my best to make it chronological. The quotes of the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates are in blue, while the comments in orange with parentheses are what you would have heard me say, had we been watching it together:
- Trump (to Biden): “Did you use the word smart? So, you said you went to Delaware State, but you forgot the name of your college. You didn’t go to Delaware State. You graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don’t ever use the word ‘smart’ with me. Don’t ever use that word. Because you know what, there’s nothing smart about you, Joe. 47 years, you’ve done nothing." (Only a bully puts others down to make themselves feel better. This is a personal attack. Show some professionalism and respect!)
- Trump (about Biden): “I don’t wear a mask like him. Every time you seen him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from me, and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen!" (Firstly, karma. Secondly, nice job scoring points for your opponent by calling out his conscientious choice to protect his constituents and the people around him. Please continue; I will cheer you on from the sidelines.)
- Trump (on racial sensitivity training): “Oh, it’s totally racist. (Racial sensitivity trainings are not racist. And if people THINK they are, then those trainings are not being taught properly!) If you were a certain person, you had no status in life, it was sort of a reversal. (What are you going on about???) And if you look at the people we would pay people hundreds of thousands of dollars to teach them very bad ideas (OH REALLY.) and frankly, very sick ideas (these teachers aren’t the ones with the sick ideas, pal!) and really, they were teaching people to hate our country. (Our country has its fair share of issues, dude. Denial about that fact helps NO ONE.) And I’m not gonna do that. I’m not gonna allow that to happen. We have to go back to the core values of this country. They were teaching people that our country is a horrible place, it’s a racist place, and they were teaching people to hate our country. (Have you ever even picked up a history book?) And I’m not going to allow that to happen.
Pence: "I would like to go back."
Moderator: "I think we need to move on –"
Pence: "Well, thank you, but I would like to go back. (SIR. WOULD YOUR MOTHER PUT UP WITH THIS ATTITUDE? NO? THEN SIT DOWN.) Because the reality is that we’re going to have a vaccine in record time, in unheard of time. In less than a year. (For real? So, all the companies creating them are spreading false info about the timeline of availability? Ok, great! Can’t wait! You go first, sir!) [to Kamala] The fact that you continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine [Kamala said she wouldn’t get a vaccine if the Trump Administration recommended it, only if health officials did] if the vaccine emerges during the Trump Administration I think is unconscionable. And senator, I just ask you stop playing politics with people’s lives.” (OH, HE WENT THERE. OH, MY GOODNESS. THE AUDACITY. You wanna talk about ‘playing politics with people’s lives’? Let’s have a conversation, you twat.)
Other important speculations:
- Biden made a point to look at the camera when he answered questions, which gave the appearance of talking to the people at home who were watching. Trump did not speak as much to the camera/audience, but rather to Biden and Wallace.
- Both Presidential candidates called the other a liar at least once during the debate.
- My students do a better job realizing they’ve interrupted someone, apologizing, and allowing them to finish speaking than the President or VP. And they certainly don’t make anyone feel bad about it.
Hopefully this post provided you with a bit of a laugh during this madness. While I find it important to stay woke in order to avoid being a compliant bystander, it is also important to find things that bring a smile to your face! Balance is key.
Lastly, I want to share two quick recommendations:
1. If you have not yet seen the film Thirteen, I HIGHLY recommend adding it to your Netflix list and watching it as soon as possible.
2. Demi Lovato released an amazing song last week called Commander in Chief. Here is the link for the music video; please check it out!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Y-lS1trhw
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!
