[Dr. Jonathan Doll usually blogs for the Huffington Post on school violence prevention issues and wellness issues. In this three-part series (connected to the debates), he will examine some aspects of faith and the importance of maintaining a positive perspective during the campaign season.]
As Americans reflect on the October 9, 2016 second Presidential Debate of Secretary Hillary Clinton and Mr. Donald Trump, I thought it would be fitting to also add to this discussion some important prayers for our next national leader. The debate was at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and was moderated by both ABC’s Martha Raddatz and CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
PRAYER NUMBER TWO FOR A PRESIDENT: Amid a great amount of potential in Americans across this land, may the next president be galvanized by a love for this country and its shared ideals. Also, may the future Oval Office be for that president a time of proving and maintaining a sense of hope across this land.
WATCH THE DEBATE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyDSCKYz5sA
Overall, the second presidential debate was more energetic than the first one in September 2016, but surprisingly had less viewership at 27.8 million viewers according to Variety.com. Questions came in a town hall fashion by members of the audience who were all (a) St. Louis residents and (b) current undecided voters. Also, veteran moderators - Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper - added follow-up questions and also tried to quell the enthusiasm or angst of the audience which interrupted the debate at times mostly in applause.
Very quickly in the debate, things focused on the morals and values of the future president, which Secretary Clinton added was “fitness” or lack thereof of a candidate. Also, the scandal that Mr. Trump was most recently embroiled in (his foul-mouthed comments in 2005 while filming a reality show) proved to be his ultimate undoing.
Two pictures emerged quite clearly in the debate. One was of Mr. Trump acting a bit menacing – pacing the stage, voicing intimidation, demeaning words, and even threats upon Secretary Clinton. Second was Clinton’s relaxed responses and thoughtful replies to each person, which quite honestly spoke more of experience, acumen, and poise than any added words she could have included in her answers.
I watched as Mr. Trump was simply on the ropes. He was trapped in his own infidelities. And while it’s sorrowful to watch someone be publicly humiliated, it was certainly due him.
I took offense once and one time only during the debate. For Mr. Trump to simply try to say his vulgarity was something that men do in locker rooms is a lie. I’ve been in locker rooms for decades and simply not heard it. Maybe in juvenile detention could one hear such vulgarity and hatred on a regular basis, sadly, but this is not the fiber of males in America. Thank God!
Ms. Hillary Clinton has a great deal of experience in politics and has spent decades increasing her sphere of influence. I’ll be honest – no job can avoid the shadow of failure at times. Remember it was our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt who voiced this eloquently in 1910 at the Sorbonne, in Paris. He said movingly,
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
And President Roosevelt used his weaknesses and struggles for the common good in America. Though he struggled with severe asthma as a youth, he became a progressive President who helped create many national parks and designated national monuments during his time in the Oval Office. This part of his legacy was a breath of fresh air, indeed.
So let us remember that all those in politics will suffer setbacks at times. This is a fact of life. But it is our job as Americans to defend their improvement and future success.
---
There are still many Americans who remain undecided in this coming national election. And they have a weighty decision before them. With that said, however, it is my prediction that barring any unforeseen obstacles, Secretary Clinton will attain both the majority of popular and electoral votes.
As an independent voter, I’ve never found it useful or even enticing be predisposed toward a candidate before the presidential debates take place. I simply have found over twenty years that the national debates are a proving ground unlike any other. But something from this second debate helped crystallize my decision.
And I know one thing for sure: My vote is an expression of support for honesty, care for fellow Americans, and the ongoing success of our democracy. After all, the four or eight elected years in the Oval Office are a time of maturation for any president. So we can look forward to a resilient presidency to come, indeed.
The final question of the debate was by a courageous American named Karl Becker - and it should serve as a cap for this brief discussion of the second debate. His question was all about the idea of strengths that I spoke of in an article this past summer, when referring to a Higher Calling in American Politics.
Karl courageously asked the two Presidential candidates, “Regardless of the current rhetoric, would either of you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?”
For a moment after Karl’s question, the audience was taken aback and pure emotion washed over the angst from the more tense times earlier in the debate. The question was a heroic move as TheWeek.com put it and even had a presidential flair (#Go-Karl-in-2020!). And as amazing as it is when an American asks for the very virtues that we as a nation need to see each day, so were the responses.
Secretary Hillary Clinton praised the children of Mr. Donald Trump and reflected on her own role as a parent and grandmother. It was a poignantly positive moment. Mr. Trump also accepted the positive accolade and added some of his own words which were finally able to find a positive result.
Of Secretary Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump voiced the following words that may well follow her for the next four or eight years. These positive inspirations can help aim us towards the third debate and coming election; they offer a positive past, present, and future perspective.
“I will say this about Hillary. She doesn't quit. She doesn't give up. I respect that. I tell it like it is. She's a fighter,” Mr. Trump said.
And so there we have it. This second debate pushed me over the edge so that I would join the hundreds if not thousands of Americans who have voted in advance of the election. Rather than wait, my vote is now secure. Is yours?
It is my sincere hope that every reader has a moment of clarity to prepare their vote in this important election season.
******
Dr. Jonathan Doll is the author of the book, Ending School Shootings: School and District Tools for Prevention and Action. He is a registered voter with no allegiance to either party, but votes his conscience every 4 years. His opinions are his own.