The second and final presidential debate of the 2020 election between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden took place on Thursday, October 22 and was moderated by NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker. The second debate between the two candidates was what many voters were more accustomed to watching between presidential candidates than the first debate, which was filled with constant interruptions and bickering. 

Saint Patrick senior William McMillan said that he made a decision as to who to vote for, but the two debates were not a big factor in his decision making process. “I feel that the debate is not a clear indication as to what the future of the country holds. I feel that much of what was talked about in the debates was less of what the candidates were going to do during their possible term but rather why the other one was weaker,” McMillan explained. He did say, however, that the second “debate was much more tame than the first.”

Saint Patrick Social Studies department chair David Craine has watched every televised presidential debate in American history, beginning with the John Kennedy-Richard Nixon debate of 1960, and stated that “This debate simply reinforced the differences in character of the two candidates.” When asked about the election as a whole, Mr. Craine replied: “This is the most important presidential election since 1860.” 

When asked what he would tell students who are planning to vote for the first time this year, Mr. Craine replied: “Rely on what you know to be real, what you know in your heart is moral, and what your Catholic upbringing has taught you about honesty, decency, and concern for all people.” Mr. Craine continued, “Be Christlike in your concern for all people, and understand that His teachings command us to be a community of cooperation, not competition. Then vote accordingly.” 

As racial justice protests and societal unrest continue to take place within the country, we must be Christlike in our response. Mr. Craine said, “As Atticus Finch told his daughter, Scout, in To Kill a Mockingbird, ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it.’ This, I believe, is the key to understanding not only others, but ourselves as well.” 

The 2020 Presidential Election is on Tuesday, November 3.