The democrats’ show of decency
I was entertained by the debates among the aspirants as standard bearer of the Democrats. The debate happened in California yesterday, but it was beamed live on CNN. The exchange of ideas was animated but their language was decent. Since their common enemy in November 2020 will still be President Donald Trump, all of them busied themselves telling listeners how Trump bungled the administration. Their statements were remarkably frank but no one uttered cuss words against Trump. Every one pointed where Trump went wrong, and there were a number of such ponderous issues but each of them delivered his (and yes, her) message in a dignified manner. While each of them wanted to highlight how flawed Trump’s administration is, nobody dared to tread on libelous grounds.
The podium where all Democrat aspirants spoke from yesterday was not, as yet, staged against Trump. It was, as a prelude to the primaries, a sparring of sorts among those seeking nomination. Their intentions were to convince partymates to choose them to run for president. Necessarily, each of them wanted to show to their California (and worldwide) audience their leadership vision. Yet, I discerned that no one, while trying to outshine a fellow aspirant, used vile language. In those times when a hopeful wanted to put on the spot a fellow contender, he or she was conscious there was an international audience watching. Their chosen words had to be dignified. If an issue was raised, it was couched in decent and respectable lingo. To my admiration, no presidential hopeful dropped any fraudulent bombshell on a fellow contender.
On that score, I doffed my hat to the Democrats, such that immediately after the debate, I texted my daughter, Belynda, a California voter whose husband, Romar, is a Democrat (I believe). I was so impressed by how all the aspirants communicated with the audience that I couldn’t help but compare their decency to the cuss words used by a local radio announcer in defaming Vice Mayor Michael Rama, last Monday. Of course, the leading lights of the Democrats are honorable and dignified men and women and so we expect nothing vulgar and uncouth remarks. Just the same, the thought of comparing was as old as the poem “The Mountain and the Squirrel which I learned in elementary.
I was so appalled by this radioman’s vicious commentary that I thought he was doing a demolition job. His language would certainly not earn him a promotion. Worse, he could be terminated from his job if there is compelling evidence supporting the perception he went overboard as a part of a propaganda canal. Employers are a discerning lot. Among the universal standards of personnel administration is decency in words and deeds. In broadcasting, when the temper of the commentary is gross and vituperative, professional parameters are violated. The announcer miserably fails in that regard.
In contrast, watching the debate gave me a profound, yet unintended learning. Former vice president Joe Biden, one of the contenders, raised a point against Trump, not mincing words in claiming that Trump is a fraud. He based his assertion on the claim that during the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to do something but didn’t. It we accept that reasoning, and match it with the language of the local commentator, the latter would be exposed as worse because he intentionally misled his listeners.
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