Swift soundbites and memes

Harris v Trump

Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic presidential nominee vice president Kamala Harris during an ABC News presidential debate.

The exchanges between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in their presidential debate in the US have been explored in the minutest detail (as is always the case when candidates set eyes on the White House) over the last 24 hours.

The first of those detailed analyses was the televised 1960 debate between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy, which has long since passed into myth. Kennedy’s smooth performance was contrasted with Nixon’s nervous, fidgety appearance, complete with five o’clock shadow and visible sweat.

At the time, though, it was widely suggested that those who listened only to the radio coverage thought Nixon had the upper hand.

There is little hard evidence to suggest that debate was decisive in eventually deciding the election. Will this week’s prove any different?

Only time will tell, but the debate on Tuesday night was informative in other ways. President Joe Biden’s apparent cognitive decline provided an obvious focus for the US media in particular before he withdrew from the election, and it is difficult to understand why Trump’s performances have not been subjected to the same level of scrutiny. In this week’s debate, his rambling and unfounded attack on immigrants for eating cats and dogs was a case in point.

Many readers will have heard or seen that specific part of the debate thanks to the modern thirst for mocking memes and convenient clips. Yet the production of powerful and convenient soundbites has always been a significant part of such debates, from Ronald Reagan’s "there you go again" putdown of Jimmy Carter in 1980 to Lloyd Bentsen hitting Dan Quayle with his "you’re no Jack Kennedy" line eight years later.

One of the most significant political developments of Tuesday evening occurred after the debate, when influential music icon Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Swift advised her fans to
research the issues and to register to vote, promising to post links online to help with registration and voting.

That advice underlined the importance of unglamorous but necessary work in winning elected office, a point not lost on either side in this election, surely.