Not long ago, there was a degree of grace and civility to politics. In this toxic presidential campaign those elements have vanished. And it was plain for all to see in the third and final debate Wednesday night.
From the moment Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton stepped on stage in Las Vegas, they did not so much as acknowledge each other. They did not shake hands. Their campaigns dispensed with the customary greeting between their spouses after the Clinton campaign sought to prevent any new Trump theatrics, like his parade of Bill Clinton’s accusers at the last debate.
From that cold introduction to their deliberate avoidance of each other as they left the stage, the two candidates spent the evening exchanging icy glares of contempt. There were substantive policy discussions, but they were laced with insults, accusations and innuendo.
This has largely been a vacuous contest that has centered on personality rather than policy. These final debates will be remembered as the denouement of the most crass, coarse and uncomfortable campaign in modern political history.
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