Folding the Trump card

Political debates lack respect, maturity.

Folding+the+Trump+card

Kendra Harvey, Managing Editor

Listening to a drama-filled fight full of snarky comebacks and insults, I forget I am not watching the latest episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” or girls fighting for “love” on “The Bachelor” — I am watching the potential future leaders of this country during a presidential debate.

Political races can get dirty, with candidates bringing up little things from the past and finding the best way to outwit opponents. However, leading Republican candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are taking their political statements to the point of making personal attacks on each other.

Most first graders learn the Golden Rule — treat others as you would like to be treated — a difficult concept for these candidates.

Sadly, respect won’t cost them the election.

The majority of media attention going to these candidates is about who has the better insult rather than focusing on their actual plans if elected.

I see more articles on social media about “How Donald Trump Became America’s Insult Comic in Chief” or “9 Outrageous Things Donald Trump Has Said About Latinos” before I see any real political views or actions about him.

As of this morning, Trump has 458 of 1,237 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination for the general election, according to the Associated Press Vote-Counting Network. Somehow Trump, and his insults, are putting him on track to win.

The more civil debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders last week brought up the sophomoric behavior of the Republican party. Sanders even quipped, “And when you watch these Republican debates, you know why we need to invest in mental health.”

Trump, Cruz and Rubio should not be dumped into the same category as people actually living with mental health disorders. If they expect to run a country, their civilities should be respectful and their discussions like capable adults.

As a country who acts as a global leader, United States presidential candidates should represent themselves with seriousness during these debates. As far as entertainment goes, we have the Kardashians for that.