毕业典礼经典两分钟英语演讲稿范文（精选26篇）
the more you're thinking back to those original goals, the easier it is for you to get back up and say, "Alright, it might be difficult, it might be painful, it might be stressful, there might be no people that believe in me, but I believe in myself."
You know it might have been the case that you should have gone through that harsh break up, that you should have gone through that heavy loss, just in order to find something even better.
But the only way to get to that even better, is to get back up and work. To get back up and put yourself out there again. And arise from that again, stronger, better, smarter, ready to grasp that new opportunity.
You gotta believe the tables in your life will turn. That pain will become power, that weakness will become strength, and that confusion will become peace. Better things are coming for your life.
Everyday is a new beginning. It's time for you to start treating it that way.
Great to see you all. (Applause.) Thank you very, very much.
Jeremy and Kiki, the entire Class of 20xx, congratulations and thank you for inviting me to be part of this special day. You’re talented. You’ve worked hard, and you’ve earned this day.
Mr. President, faculty, staff, it’s an honor to be here with all of you.
My wife teaches full-time. I want you to know that -- at a community college, and has attended 8,640 commencements and/or the similar versions of Class Day, and I know they can hardly wait for the speaker to finish. (Laughter.) But I’ll do my best as quickly as I can.
To the parents, grandparents, siblings, family members, the Class of 20xx —- congratulations. I know how proud you must be. But, the Class of 20xx, before I speak to you —- please stand and applaud the ones who loved you no matter what you’re wearing on your head and who really made this day happen. (Laughter and applause.) I promise you all this is a bigger day for them than it is for you. (Laughter.)
When President Obama asked me to be his Vice President, I said I only had two conditions: One, I wouldn’t wear any funny hats, even on Class Day. (Laughter.) And two, I wouldn’t change my brand. (Applause.)
Sometimes it takes things falling apart, for better things to fall into place. Sometimes it takes the most uncomfortable path, to lead your life to the most beautiful place. There's gonna be bad days, there's gonna be dark days, but you've gotta embrace it.
Because that pain is what makes you stronger. Failure is what makes you stronger.
You have to accept those down times, because once you realize those down times, are just as much part of life as anything else, you're able to strive again.
You'll never see the purpose of the storm, until you see the growth it produced. You'll never understand why you went through what you went through, until you see the strength, the power, the resilience that it built inside of you. Ask yourself why.
But this why is a better why, "Why am I doing this? Why am I failing? Why am I even getting myself in a situation where I could fail? Because I have a dream. Because I have goals."
For your generation, there’s an incredible amount of pressure on all of you to succeed, particularly now that you have accomplished so much. You’re whole generation faces this pressure. I see it in my grandchildren who are honors students at other Ivy universities right now. You race to do what others think is right in high school. You raced through the bloodsport of college admissions. You raced through Yale for the next big thing. And all along, some of you compare yourself to the success of your peers on Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In, Twitter.
Today, some of you may have found that you slipped into the self-referential bubble that validates certain choices. And the bubble expands once you leave this campus, the pressures and anxiousness, as well -- take this job, make that much money, live in this place, hang out with people like you, take no real risks and have no real impact, while getting paid for the false sense of both.
But resist that temptation to rationalize what others view is the right choice for you -— instead of what you feel in your gut is the right choice —- that’s your North Star. Trust it. Follow it. You're an incredible group of young women and men. And that's not hyperbole. You're an incredible group.
Well, good morning, everyone. Hello, WashU, how is everyone doing?
Let me start with the most important words I can say today: Congratulations to the distinguished graduates of the great Class of 20xx.
I’d like to welcome everyone here – and Chancellor Wrighton for extending the invitation. I’ve known the chancellor for more than a decade, and I want to congratulate him for everything he has done to both transform this campus and raise academic standards.
If there are…if there are any older alumni present, be glad you applied back when you did. I can just tell you that certainly I would not have gotten into WashU today. For the record, I was the kind of student who always made the top half of the class possible.
Graduates, it’s a great honor to be your Commencement speaker. I accept the fact that I wasn’t your first choice. But unfortunately, T-Pain couldn’t make it. Mandatory vocal rest, he said. Actually, that’s the same reason I didn’t go out last night and sing karaoke at T’s.
Today’s a beautiful day. But this is St. Louis, and so before leaving my hotel this morning, I also packed a winter parka.
I drove over here, and I was lucky: I found a very convenient parking space – on West Campus – so I took the shuttle over. It was worth it. What an amazing place this is. Where else could I see the bunny? And the DUC.
Still, I was disappointed that, in all my walking around, I did not get to see the school’s most famous icon: Ninja Turtle Backpack Guy. Demetri, way to dance to your own beat.
All of which he opposed -- from paying tens of millions of dollars in arrearages to an institution, he despised, the United Nations -- he was part of the so-called “black helicopter” crowd; to passing the chemical weapons treaty, constantly referring to, “we’ve never lost a war, and we’ve never won a treaty,” which he vehemently opposed. But we were able to do these things not because he changed his mind, but because in this new relationship to maintain it is required to play fair, to be straight. The cheap shots ended. And the chicanery to keep from having to being able to vote ended -- even though he knew I had the votes.
After that, we went on as he began to look at the other side of things and do some great things together that he supported like PEPFAR -— which by the way, George W. Bush deserves an overwhelming amount of credit for, by the way, which provided treatment and prevention HIV/AIDS in Africa and around the world, literally saving millions of lives.
So one piece of advice is try to look beyond the caricature of the person with whom you have to work. Resist the temptation to ascribe motive, because you really don’t know -— and it gets in the way of being able to reach a consensus on things that matter to you and to many other people.
Resist the temptation of your generation to let “network” become a verb that saps the personal away, that blinds you to the person right in front of you, blinds you to their hopes, their fears, and their burdens.
Build real relationships -— even with people with whom you vehemently disagree. You’ll not only be happier. You will be more successful.
Look, at a Gridiron Dinner not long ago, the President said, I -- the President -- “I am learning to speak without a teleprompter, Joe is learning to speak with one.” (Laughter.) But if you looked at my speechwriters, you know why.And the granddaughter of one of my dearest friends in life -— a former Holocaust survivor, a former foreign policy advisor, a former Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Tom Lantos -— is graduating today. Mercina, congratulations, kiddo. (Applause.) Where are you? You are the sixth -- she’s the sixth sibling in her immediate family to graduate from Yale. Six out of 11, that's not a bad batting average. (Laughter.) I believe it’s a modern day record for the number of kids who went to Yale from a single family.
And, Mercina, I know that your mom, Little Annette is here. I don't know where you are, Annette. But Annette was part of the first class of freshman women admitted to Yale University. (Applause.)
And her grandmother, Annette, is also a Holocaust survivor, an amazing woman; and both I’m sure wherever they are, beaming today. And I know one more thing, Mercina, your father and grandfather are looking down, cheering you on.
You have earned the endorsement of those who have come before you and we expect that you will honor the legacy of improving the world by your contributions in [the] years to come.
And while it may not be easy to determine your passion or decipher your purpose, we will always be here to support you as you navigate this experience we call ‘life’.
We will always be here not just to tell you, but to show you that the only way around adversity isn not around it at all; it is straight through it.
So, expect adversity – expect adversity, excuse me. Invite it. And embrace it. Because it will be your greatest asset. It will help you be a better human being. It will teach you the same thing my mother taught me…that no morth and prosper!”
atter how bad you feel, that even at your lowest point, you got this.
Because Dukies…Dukies hear clearly, graduates, Dukies are like titanium. We might be dented on every side, but we are never crushed. And in the final analysis, we are “forever Duke”.
All of you have been part of this institution’s long tradition of advocacy and activism. Don’t leave it behind. Carry it with you, and take on this challenge to bring truth to light.
To help you get started, let me offer some quick advice for dealing with modern-day sophists who try to obscure – and deny – truth.
When those …when those in the political arena engage in name-calling and other schoolyard chants, and are trying to distract your attention away from the real issues and from their inability to address them or their unwillingness to put forward practical solutions – don’t be distracted.
When they tolerate attacks on minority groups, especially those who profess a faith that some find threatening, they are empowering those who traffic in hatred – don’t tolerate it.
When they denounce journalists as ‘enemies of the state,’ and declare any critical coverage to be ‘fake news,’ and dress up lies as ‘alternative facts,’ they are trying to fool you into trusting only the news that comes from their mouths – don’t be fooled.
When they exaggerate the risks we face from immigrants without talking about all the benefits they have brought to our country, they are preying on people’s fears – don’t let them get away with it.
When they tell…try to tell you who you can love, or even who you can be, they are either pandering for votes or playing God – don’t put up with it.
When they promise you a free lunch, or free college, or free medical care, or free income, remember that a bill always comes due – don’t let them pass the buck.
When they prevent speakers from being heard, by shouting them down or creating spaces where differing opinions are not permitted, they are trying to win arguments by bullying and censorship instead of facts and reason. Don’t let them suppress free speech even…even when you find that speech to be deplorable. Protecting their right to speak is the only way to protect your right to speak.
When people romanticize the past, just remember something my mother, who lived to 102, told me: the good old days were never that good.
In fairness to George, ‘pains is taken’ is the way they spoke back then. Today, Washington would probably say ‘take pains.’ Or maybe T-Pain.
But Washington, really, Washington’s point, and Washington U.’s motto, are principles I hope that all of you will take to heart: truth will prevail where pains are taken to bring it to light. And with truth comes strength.
The pains that every generation has taken to bring light are why secession didn’t succeed…secession didn’t succeed in 1794 or 1861. The pains taken by abolitionists, and suffragettes, and civil rights marchers, and marriage equality advocates brought America’s core truth to light: that all people are created equal.
And today…today, the necessity of taking pains to bring truth to light is greater than ever because the tools for spreading lies are more powerful than ever.
Since the dawn of democracy, there have always been those, to paraphrase Socrates, who try to make the weaker argument appear the stronger and who care more about winning debates than being truthful.
And I just can’t keep living this way
So starting today, I’m breaking out of this cage
I’m standing up, Imma face my demons
I’m manning up, Imma hold my ground
I’ve had enough, now I’m so fed up
Time to put my life back together right now
It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me
Admittedly i probably did it subliminally for you
So I could come back a brand new me, you helped see me through
And don’t even realize what you did, believe me you
I been through the ringer, but they can do little to the middle finger
I think I got a tear in my eye, I feel like the king of
My world, haters can make like bees with no stingers, and drop dead
No more beef flingers, no more drama from now on, I promise
To focus solely on handling my responsibilities as a father
So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof like my daughters and raise it
You couldn’t lift a single shingle lonely
Cause the way I feel, I’m strong enough to go to the club
Put a corner pub and lift the whole liquor counter up
Cause I’m raising the bar, I shoot for the moon
But I’m too busy gazing at stars, I feel amazing and
(Hook)
I’m not afraid to take a stand
Everybody come take my hand
We’ll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just let you know that, you’re not alone
Holla if you feel that you've been down the same road
Universities have a critical role to play in helping our country tackle this challenge, and I want to thank everyone at WashU who has been part of that work.
There really is no time to waste. The problems driven by climate change are getting worse – and that’s something you’ve seen right here during your lifetime.
The recent Mississippi River floods have affected life in St. Louis and they have devastated farmers across the Midwest. Those types of natural disasters will continue to get more severe with climate change, according to the best scientific data.
The trouble is too many politicians aren’t interested in hard science. They’re only interested in political science and winning their next election. So they ignore the data, they try to cut funding for climate research – because they know it will undermine their political argument. Sometimes they even try to block public employees from uttering the words – climate change.
You can’t make this stuff up. You just have to wonder, what are they trying to hide? And the only conclusion I have drawn is that they’re either hiding their own ignorance or their own bad faith.
Either way, when government tries to gag scientists and censor our conclusions, watch out and speak up.
I’m not afraid to take a stand
Everybody come take my hand
We’ll walk this road together, through the storm
Whatever weather, cold or warm
Just to let you know that, you’re not alone
Holla if you feel that you’ve been down the same roadYeah, It’s been a ride…
I guess i had to go to that place to get to this one
Now some of you might still be in that place
If you’re trying to get out, just follow me
I’ll get you out…You can try and read my lyrics off of this paper before I lay ‘em
But you won’t take the sting out these words before I say ‘em
Cause ain’t no way I’m let you stop me from causing mayhem
When I say ‘em or do something I do it, I don’t give a damn
What you think, I’m doing this for me, so fuсk the world
Feed it beans, it’s gassed up, if a thing’s stopping me
I’mma be what I set out to be, without a doubt undoubtedly
And all those who look down on me I’m tearing down your balcony
No if ands or buts don’t try to ask him why or how can he
From Infinite down to the last Relapse album he’s still shit and
Whether he’s on salary, paid hourly
Until he bows out or he shit’s his bowels out of him
Whichever comes first, for better or worse
He’s married to the game, like a fuсk you for christmas
His gift is a curse, forget the earth he’s got the urge
To pull his dick from the dirt and fuсk the whole universe
Ok quit playin’ with the scissors and shit, and cut the crap
I shouldn’t have to rhyme these words in the rhythm for you to know it’s a rap
You said you was king, you lied through your teeth
For that fuсk your fillings, instead of getting crowned you’re getting capped
And to the fans, I’ll never let you down again, I’m back
I promise to never go back on that promise, in fact
Let’s be honest, that last Relapse CD was “ehhhh”
Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground
Relax, I ain’t going back to that now
All I’m tryna say is get back, click-clack BLAOW
Cause I ain’t playin’ around
There’s a game called circle and I don’t know how
I’m way too up to back down
But I think I’m still tryna figure this crap out
Thought I had it mapped out but I guess I didn’t
This fuсking black cloud’s still follow’s me around
But it’s time to exercise these demons
The good news is the way to clean up the pollution can be found in [the] three words written on the cover of your diploma. It’s the motto of this great university: ‘Per Veritatem Vis’ (strength through truth). And it’s a motto that fits perfectly with a university named for George Washington.
In 1794, during President Washington’s second term, there was a faction ginning up support for secession. Washington recognized the threat it was…threat it posed – and he was confident that it would not succeed. He wrote in a letter, and I quote, ‘It is not difficult by concealment of some facts, and exaggeration of others to bias a well-meaning mind, at least for a while.’
But, he continued, ‘Truth will ultimately prevail where pains is taken to bring it to light.’
Now, I know the phrase ‘pains is taken’ probably just horrified every English major here. As kids, we were taught that Washington never told a lie, but they never told us he had trouble with subject-verb agreements.
as a student here, I was blessed to have the extraordinary Duke Health System looking after me – somebody say Amen for the Duke Health System. But this isn’t accessible to everyone. What we have here is an anomaly, when it should be what we’re all accustomed to.
As the President of a Level 1…yeah, come on now. Give it up. As the President of a Level 1 Trauma Center’s Foundation, I saw firsthand the physical and financial devastation which can overwhelm an individual and their family when basic healthcare is not available or accessible. Chronic conditions run rampant. Genetic disorders go undiagnosed and contagious conditions, like the measles’ outbreak we’re currently experiencing, stop being the exception and instead become an epidemic.
But it is through deliberate exposure that we develop empathy for those who appear different than us, that we see that adversity is all-encompassing. Those house calls were not accidental from my father. They weren’t because he couldn’t find a sitter or because he thought I was bored. They were there to prepare me and to open my eyes to the simple fact: But there, but for the grace of the universe, anyone of us could be adversely affected.
That’s why it is incumbent upon each of us – each of you – to not only get out of your comfort zones, but find the power in discomfort itself. And sustain your own health so that you can not only help assuage the discomfort of others, but so that you can lead an informed and compassionate life.
I want you to know that, no matter where you are in life… No matter how low you have sunk… No matter how bleak your situation… This is NOT THE END.
This is not the end of your story
This is not the final chapter of your life.
I know it may be hard right now
But if you just hang in there
Stick it out
Stay with me for a little while…
You will find, that this tough moment will pass, and, if you are committed to USING this pain, using it to build your character, finding a greater MEANING for the pain, you will find that, in time, you can turn your life around, and help others going through the same struggles.
finally, when leaders wrap themselves in the flag, or the national anthem, and try to make you think that critics of your government don’t love and respect our country, real patriotism isn’t about honoring symbols. Real patriotism is about bringing truth to light, and when action is required, standing up and taking action.
In other words, real patriotism is about taking pains. So if you remember nothing else from today, remember that phrase. Or, to make it even simpler, just remember: T-Pain.
Graduates, as you leave this great university, I hope you will take the pains that are necessary to preserve and extend our democracy. Take pains to understand the other side. Take pains to expose lies. Take pains to reject scapegoating and xenophobia. Take pains not to fall for easy answers. And take pains to hold our leaders accountable for their words and their deeds.
If you do that, I have no doubt that truth – and America – will prevail. And my generation will be able to say, as we pass the leadership torch to yours, the same words that Washington spoke with his last breath: ‘Tis well.
So tonight, have one last drink, maybe at T’s, dance to your own beat or to the beat of Ninja Turtle Backpack Guy, and tomorrow, get to work. The world needs you more than ever.
Congratulations, and good luck.
Here’s something else I observed -- intellectual horsepower and tolerance alone does not make a generation great: unless you can break out of the bubble of your own making -— technologically, geographically, racially, and socioeconomically -— to truly connect with the world around you. Because it matters.
No matter what your material success or personal circumstance, it matters. You can't breathe fresh air or protect your children from a changing climate no matter what you make. If your sister is the victim of domestic violence, you are violated. If your brother can’t marry the man he loves, you are lessened. And if your best friend has to worry about being racially profiled, you live in a circumstance not worthy of us. (Applause.) It matters.
So be successful. I sincerely hope some of you become millionaires and billionaires. I mean that. But engage the world around you because you will be more successful and happier. And you can absolutely succeed in life without sacrificing your ideals or your commitments to others and family. I’m confident that you can do that, and I’m confident that this generation will do it more than any other.
Look to your left, as they say, and look to your right. And remember how foolish the people next to you look -- (laughter) -- in those ridiculous hats. (Laughter.) That’s what I want you to remember. I mean this. Because it means you’ve learned something from a great tradition.
The second thing I’ve noticed is that although you know no one is better than you, every other persons is equal to you and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
I’ve worked with eight Presidents, hundreds of Senators. I’ve met every major world leader literally in the last 40 years. And I’ve had scores of talented people work for me. And here’s what I’ve observed: Regardless of their academic or social backgrounds, those who had the most success and who were most respected and therefore able to get the most done were the ones who never confused academic credentials and societal sophistication with gravitas and judgment.
Don’t forget about what doesn’t come from this prestigious diploma -- the heart to know what’s meaningful and what’s ephemeral; and the head to know the difference between knowledge and judgment.
But even if you get these things right, I’ve observed that most people who are successful and happy remembered a third thing: Reality has a way of intruding.
I got elected in a very improbable year. Richard Nixon won my state overwhelmingly. George McGovern was at the top of the ticket. I got elected as the second-youngest man in the history of the United States to be elected, the stuff that provides and fuels raw ambition. And if you’re not careful, it fuels a sense of inevitability that seeps in. But be careful. Things can change in a heartbeat. I know. And so do many of your parents.
Six weeks after my election, my whole world was altered forever. While I was in Washington hiring staff, I got a phone call. My wife and three children were Christmas shopping, a tractor trailer broadsided them and killed my wife and killed my daughter. And they weren’t sure that my sons would live.
Many people have gone through things like that. But because I had the incredible good fortune of an extended family, grounded in love and loyalty, imbued with a sense of obligation imparted to each of us, I not only got help. But by focusing on my sons, I found my redemption.
I’m so happy to be here on your day and all of your day. It’s good to know there’s one Yalie who is happy I’m being here -- be here, at least one. (Laughter.) On “Overheard at Yale,” on the Facebook page, one student reported another student saying: I had a dream that I was Vice President and was with the President, and we did the disco funk dance to convince the Congress to restart the government. (Laughter.)
Another student commented, Y’all know Biden would be hilarious, get funky. (Laughter.)
Well, my granddaughter, Finnegan Biden, whose dad went here, is with me today. When she saw that on the speech, I was on the plane, Air Force Two coming up, she said, Pop, it would take a lot more than you and the President doing the disco funk dance. The Tea Party doesn't even know what it is. (Laughter.)
Look, I don't know about that. But I’m just glad there’s someone -- just someone -- who dreams of being Vice President. (Laughter and applause.) Just somebody. I never had that dream. (Laughter.) For the press out there, that's a joke.
In ancient Greece, these were called Sophists – and they would have loved Twitter and Facebook.
Social media has given rise to a new golden age of sophistry – aided and abetted by blind partisanship. The only way to overcome it – the only way to lift our national discourse out of the gutter – is to heed Washington’s words and take pains to bring truth to light.
Those pains are the burden of citizenship in a democracy. And a great education does not relieve them. It intensifies them. This is especially true, I believe, for graduates of a university bearing the name Washington.
Graduates, you’re probably asking yourself some big, important questions right now on this important day, like how am I going to make a living? Will I ever have a mattress as nice as the one I had in the Forty? Will I ever again experience the magic of free Uber rides?
And the biggest question of all, after Chancellor Wrighton retires, will he still wear double-breasted suits? I’m going to say yes to that one.
Today, you’ll have to say farewell to many of the things that served as your support system and that got you through these stressful times, like Ted Drewes, toasted ravs, John’s Donuts, gooey butter cake. Thank goodness, WashU has also one of the world’s best medical centers.
Now, before I go any further, let me take a moment to congratulate another group who is here today and does deserve a lot of credit, and I’m talking about your parents and your family. What about a nice round of applause for them?
They’re out there beaming, not even thinking about the cost of tuition, and I’m sure they are just thrilled that some of you will be moving back into their basements.
Wherever you’re headed in the days and months ahead, I want to leave you with some food for thought, so let me turn to the real message of my speech.
There’s no silver bullet, no single formula, no reductive list. But they all seem to understand that happiness and success result from an accumulation of thousands of little things built on character, all of which have certain common features in my observation.
First, the most successful and happiest people I’ve known understand that a good life at its core is about being personal. It’s about being engaged. It’s about being there for a friend or a colleague when they're injured or in an accident, remembering the birthdays, congratulating them on their marriage, celebrating the birth of their child. It’s about being available to them when they're going through personal loss. It’s about loving someone more than yourself, as one of your speakers have already mentioned. It all seems to get down to being personal.
That's the stuff that fosters relationships. It’s the only way to breed trust in everything you do in your life.
Let me give you an example. After only four months in the United States Senate, as a 30-year-old kid, I was walking through the Senate floor to go to a meeting with Majority Leader Mike Mansfield. And I witnessed another newly elected senator, the extremely conservative Jesse Helms, excoriating Ted Kennedy and Bob Dole for promoting the precursor of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But I had to see the Leader, so I kept walking.
I can remember my mother -- a sweet lady -- looking at me, after we left the hospital, and saying, Joey, out of everything terrible that happens to you, something good will come if you look hard enough for it. She was right.
The incredible bond I have with my children is the gift I’m not sure I would have had, had I not been through what I went through. Who knows whether I would have been able to appreciate at that moment in my life, the heady moment in my life, what my first obligation was.
So I began to commute -- never intending to stay in Washington. And that's the God’s truth. I was supposed to be sworn in with everyone else that year in ’73, but I wouldn’t go down. So Mansfield thought I’d change my mind and not come, and he sent up the secretary of the Senate to swear me in, in the hospital room with my children.
I began to commute thinking I was only going to stay a little while -- four hours a day, every day -- from Washington to Wilmington, which I’ve done for over 37 years. I did it because I wanted to be able to kiss them goodnight and kiss them in the morning the next day. No, “Ozzie and Harriet” breakfast or great familial thing, just climb in bed with them. Because I came to realize that a child can hold an important thought, something they want to say to their mom and dad, maybe for 12 or 24 hours, and then it’s gone. And when it’s gone, it’s gone. And it all adds up.
But looking back on it, the truth be told, the real reason I went home every night was that I needed my children more than they needed me. Some at the time wrote and suggested that Biden can't be a serious national figure. If he was, he’d stay in Washington more, attend to more important events. It’s obvious he’s not serious. He goes home after the last vote.
In all seriousness, the board back then made an inspiring decision to choose Washington. And anyone who thinks this school is in D.C. or near Seattle clearly hasn’t been paying attention.
It seems fitting that an institution named for Washington has played such an important role in presidential elections in recent decades. WashU has hosted a number of nationally televised debates, including the last one you saw in 20xx.
Hosting a presidential debate is an experience that few schools or students get. But I can’t stand here and tell you it provided a great civics lesson. I wish I could.
Instead of focusing on the critical issues facing the country, that debate was more about locker room talk and ‘lock her up.’ Lincoln-Douglas, I think it’s fair to say, it was not.
And that brings me to the topic du jour. It would be easy to blame the candidates or the moderators for the poor quality of that debate. But the problem runs much deeper.