The real question we should be asking as we watch the first presidential debate

Ours is a culture in which everything from entertainment to social media is dominated by conflict, so it’s no surprise that America is transfixed by Thursday night’s first presidential debate.

On the surface, we are focused on the selection of a leader who most clearly embodies our views. With that in mind we watch debates intently, analyzing tone and body language, ignoring overly technical phrases, and hoping that the candidate who best represents us will emerge victorious.

Many voters aren’t focused on the more obscure aspects of politics. We leave that to the pundits to discuss. For most of us, there are but a few bread-and-butter issues that truly matter. From inflation to immigration, from salaries to taxation, we watch the candidates and we ask ourselves, “Who can deliver what I want?”

In truth, that is the wrong question. Americans should ask ourselves, “Who are we?”

We already know Joe Biden.

He is a left-of-center Democrat with a long history in politics. Many remember that he pushed the 1994 crime bill that jump-started the mass incarceration of Black and brown people during the war on drugs.

Fewer people remember that the same bill expanded the use of consent decrees — legal agreements that can compel independent oversight of police departments — perhaps the most effective weapon we have against systemic racism in law enforcement. Biden served as a loyal and effective lieutenant to the first Black president, Barack Obama, and when he took office in 2021, Biden pushed for a relief package for Black farmers who’d suffered discrimination.

We also know Donald Trump.

He is a real estate tycoon who rose to political prominence by questioning the citizenship of the first Black president. Along the way, he eviscerated the traditional fiscal conservatism of the GOP, and replaced it with a politics that has earned the admiration of millions on the far right.

Many remember that Trump was sued by the Justice Department for purportedly racist policies in his real estate business, and that he demanded the death penalty for a group of Black and brown teens who were falsely accused of raping a white woman.

Fewer people remember that despite his troubled history on race, Black hip-hop artists have often cited Trump in rap lyrics as the quintessential symbol of wealth and power.

Both Biden and Trump are known quantities. However, at a time when America is scrambling to establish a firm identity, the question we must ask is, “Who are we?”

Are we a people who seek someone to blame when things go wrong, or can we take responsibility for our own shortcomings?

Are we a people who view immigrants with hate and suspicion, or do we see the potential that they bring?

Are we a people who position children to fail? Or do we give them all a chance to succeed?

At a time when the political extremes are dominating the conversation. At a time when conversation skews toward conflict. At a time when America is choosing its next leader, the question we should ask is, “Who are we?”

At a time when America is scrambling to establish a firm identity, the question we must ask is, ‘Who are we?’

In a country that is made up of multiple ethnicities and numerous racial and gender identities, I envision an America that welcomes difference. Not because it’s a nice thing for us to do, or because it’s a moral imperative, but because it’s necessary.

We won’t always agree with those whose backgrounds differ from our own. Nor will we like the proposals of those who disagree with us. But if we move in a way that aims for compromise, if we respect the right of others to exist, if we determine that we will listen more than we speak, America will not only survive. We will thrive.

I know America’s changed since the pandemic. I know that there’s a hardness that wasn’t there before. I know we’ve seen a lot of death and destruction and grief. But I, for one, don’t want to be defined by what we’ve lost. I want to be defined by what we’ve gained.

The pain that we’ve endured can make us stronger. The failures of our past can teach us lessons. The losses that we’ve suffered build resolve.

Choosing America’s leader isn’t about picking a man. The question we should ask is, “Who are we?”