Most of our readers likely know that this editorial board no longer makes endorsements in political races. When the Sun-Times became a nonprofit news outlet two years ago, endorsements ended because of the IRS policy that prohibits 501(c)3 organizations from endorsing, rating or grading political candidates.
So while we won’t recommend which presidential candidate to vote for after Tuesday night’s contentious debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, we can speak out about the importance of democracy — and truth — in this upcoming election.
Voting is the foundation of our democracy. But democracy can’t survive when voting and elections are built on a foundation of falsehoods, misinformation and bigotry, all of which millions of Americans saw on display during Tuesday night’s debate.
Honest debate on policy differences? Pointing out pitfalls in an opponent’s problem-solving? Those are necessities for a functioning government “of the people.” No political party or politician, conservative, liberal or centrist, has a monopoly on good ideas. Respectful disagreement and compromise, based on facts and truth, are essential.
Pundits will no doubt work overtime in the coming days to dissect who won the debate and why, how the moderators performed, the impact on swing state and undecided voters, and the likelihood of a second debate. In lieu of adding to that chorus, we’re calling out some of the most egregious, anti-democratic misinformation we heard.
Pet-eating migrants, ‘abortion’ at birth, the Big Lie
When ABC News co-moderator David Muir asked Trump about reports that he urged Republican lawmakers to kill a bipartisan immigration bill to help boost the problem of illegal border crossings as a campaign issue, Trump responded by amplifying a rumor, spread previously by some in his campaign, about migrants: “In Springfield (Ohio), they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country.”
Trump would not relent even after Muir set the record straight by saying officials in Springfield “told us there have been no credible reports … of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
The memes we’ve seen sprouting up on social media, showing pets sandwiched between slices of bread, a man with a knife and fork pretending to slice into his cat, and the like, might be drawing chuckles. But there’s nothing funny about xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric. It’s incompatible with an increasingly diverse America, where bridging differences and recognizing commonalities ought to be the aim.
Then there’s the gruesome lie that pro-choice advocates are in favor of killing newborn babies, making a mockery of an issue that is deeply personal to most women.
When co-moderator Linsey Davis asked Trump why women should trust him on abortion, Trump suggested that a former West Virginia governor was OK with executing babies. He also accused Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz of saying that “abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine.”
Davis, to her credit, called this out: “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.”
Trump would also have debate viewers believe that reversing Roe v. Wade was something most Americans welcomed. “Every legal scholar, every Democrat, every Republican, liberal, conservative, they all wanted this issue to be brought back to the states where the people could vote,” he claimed. For the record: Some two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down Roe; a number of legal scholars disapprove as well.
Trump also refused, once again, to admit that he lost the 2020 election; characterized his recent comment that he “lost by a whisker” as sarcasm; and claimed that judges threw out his 2020 election challenges — some 60 cases were dismissed — on “technicalities.”
“Look, there’s so much proof. All you have to do is look at it,” Trump said of the election.
Neither candidate had much new to offer on foreign policy. Harris reiterated her positions on support for Israel, ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Trump went further, however: He suggested that Hamas would not have launched its terrorist attack on Israel, and Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine, under a Trump presidency; and implied that he could quickly end both wars if he were re-elected.
None of this is to say Harris had a perfect debate, though post-debate polls show most viewers say she won. Even so, some folks likely wanted to hear more about her plans for the economy, a top concern among voters, or how she plans to handle immigration.
But in a tight election, calling out the worst falsehoods and misinformation is imperative.
We encourage you to watch the debate online, if you were not among the more than 67 million people who watched it Tuesday night. A full transcript is also available. Both can be found at abcnews.go.com.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com
This editorial is part of the The Democracy Solutions Project, a partnership among WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government examining critical issues facing our democracy in the runup to the 2024 elections.
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