Making History: The 2024 Presidential Debate
Written by Soph Stentz and Charlie Bliwas
On Sep. 10, millions of people–both in America and around the world–stopped what they were doing to tune into the first presidential debate between the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris took the place of President Joe Biden earlier this summer when he dropped out of the race on Jul. 21, after his colleagues’ recommendation. The debate took place on ABC–after Former President Donald Trump requested a platform change–running from 9:00-10:30 PM. Following the debate, as of Sep. 27, Kamala Harris is ahead in the national polls by 5%.
IAA ensured easy accessibility for students to watch the debate by live streaming the event in Corson auditorium. This event was planned by Mr. McCall–a history teacher at IAA–and the Youth in Government club at IAA that he advises. IAA has livestreamed presidential debates in the past; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last time this occurred was the 2016 election.
When The Interlochen Times interviewed Mr. McCall, he wanted to set the record straight that despite school rumors he and Tim Walz are not one and the same.
“I also want to dispel any rumors that I am Tim Walz. I am not Tim Walz, I am Brian McCall. I tell better dad jokes,” he clarified.
During the debate, there were a great deal of topics, discussed and avoided, by both candidates. These topics included immigration, foreign policy, health care, economy, abortion, democracy, and the nature of each candidate's character. The Interlochen Times interviewed Jimmy Teti, a sophomore Classical Composition major. He shared his perspective on the debate, which he watched from Corson.
“I think the time has come for a sort of an Aaron Sorkin newsroom reshaping of how we think about debates. Because I think that moderators should have a lot more control, and I think that candidates should not be allowed to do things that I saw both candidates do…The time has come to force each other to have conversations about things that are important, and stop talking about people in Ohio and their pets who are getting eaten,” said Jimmy, referencing a false claim made by former President Trump about pets in Springfield, Ohio.
Mr. McCall commented on Harris’ debate strategy, inspired by former United States Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. McNamara advised debaters to “Never answer the question that is asked of you. Answer the question that you wish had been asked of you.” Mr. McCall, who is deeply passionate about politics, shared that in his opinion, he thought Harris was successful with this strategy.
Mr. McCall also touched on the new tensions surrounding politics that have arisen since Trump entered the presidential arena.
“Trump has affected the way we think about the right side of the political spectrum,” Mr. McCall said. “His performances have made it harder for kids who come to conservative positions ideologically to talk about them openly. It has changed the tenor of the way kids talk about politics as it has in the workplace. It used to be that people could talk about politics,” he continued. “You could maybe have a different point of view. On the other hand, in the regions that are more conservative, I think the same thing is happening to kids who are on the liberal side. Kids here should be really careful about how they act around other kids when they talk about politics, so no one feels like they are being targeted. And, in an atmosphere like a debate, that could happen.”
He continued on to say how the Corson events have evolved. While in 2016, Mr. McCall felt comfortable to let students “hoot and holler” during the speeches, this year he put more emphasis on quiet comments to respect everyone’s viewpoints.
He shared that the event was a success in his eyes: “When I would host these [events] before, some kids came to see the candidates get rowdy. They were there for the reaction and the drama. I didn’t sense that that was the atmosphere this time. I think people were really engaged, and they showed maturity, which is a good thing.”
Turnout to the event was high, with an estimated 300 students present, out of a student body of 573.
Since the debate, political unrest has been evermore rampant. Trump has openly declared that he will never debate Harris again. That being said, many voters are still split between the candidates. When asked about who, in his opinion, would win the election, Mr. McCall touched on the ambiguities of this election.
“It’s going to be close. The next month is all about getting out to vote, and who has the most sophisticated ‘get out to vote program,’ and if they will get their supporters to vote,” he said.
If you want to register to vote, go to www.vote.org. If you are under the age of 18, you can volunteer to write letters or participate in doorknocking days for your desired party. But according to Mr. McCall, the best way to help is to make sure your friends who are over 18 are registered to vote themselves.