Unsurprisingly, last night's debate between conservative pundit Ann Coulter and New Republic editor Peter Beinart was a host of political party clich?©s and did not adhere to the night's topic of the state of moral values in America. Each of the speakers carefully toed the line they stereotypically represent instead of engaging in what could have been an interesting debate from various sides of the political spectrum.
The debate was well hyped by campus organizations, particularly because Coulter elicits strong responses from college audiences, the most famous being when she was hit with a pie in the face while speaking at the University of Arizona. There is no doubt that both Coulter and Beinart are intelligent and have the ability to carry on a well-thought out debate concerning American morality. The audience, however, heard a barrage of attacks towards Democrats or Republicans concerning welfare, the war in Iraq, abortion and tax codes. While these topics could pertain to morality, the pundits chose to use them to attack their opponent and entertain the audience.
It's understandable why Lecture Series chose to invite the two guests to Tufts - they are recognizable figures that are likely to draw and entertain a large audience. But these factors apparently do not facilitate a good debate. In the age of shows like "Crossfire," political figures know they can make a name for themselves by yelling and insulting any opponent they come across.
This is a reflection on the current climate of American political culture. As November's election showed us, the nation is dramatically divided politically. No one wants to give an inch to the other party, so each constantly attacks the other in hopes of gaining ground. Intelligent discussion of pressing issues has been thrown out the window in favor of witty sound bites that can be replayed across the news channels.
So long as this style of "debate" continues between the Democrats and Republicans, the United States will remain split and each side's hate for each other will grow. This is unsustainable for our country and must be thrown out, in favor of smart, thought-out discussions. Unfortunately, in the popularity of the news channels' yelling-matches disguised as news shows, it appears that debates like those between Coulter and Beinart will not be changing soon.
