In searing juxtaposition to the chaotic dumpster-fire that was the first presidential debate of 2020, Saturday’s debate between Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and South Carolina’s former democratic chairman Jaime Harrison proved that contentious debate and opposing ideology can still be paired with decorum and respect.
On Oct. 3 on the campus of Allen University — a private, historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina — both senate candidates made use of their opening statements to ground the stakes of the upcoming election. Harrison began by warning viewers that Graham likely intends to scare voters into re-election.
“I hope, tonight, to inspire you to support me,” Harrison said.
Graham initially pushed back on Harrison’s categorization of his debate strategy, but quickly managed to paint the partisan circumstances with a broad brush.
“This is a big choice election between me and Mr. Harrison: Capitalism versus Socialism. Conservative Judges versus Liberal Judges. Law and Order versus chaos,” he said. “You know where I stand.”
In response to a question aimed at underlining the politicization of COVID-19 and the effect that politicization has had on our ability to respond efficiently and effectively, Graham asserted that the problem “came out of China and not out of Trump Tower.”
“The virus is serious but we have to move on as a nation,” he added, before using the remainder of his time to air a personal grievance.
“Nobody asked me, ‘How are you doing Senator Graham?’ when 200 people showed up at my house and broke my window. My liberal democratic friends never mention the virus when people are roaming around the streets rioting and burning down cop cars and breaking windows.”
Harrison touched on his late Grandaunt Gladys, who, like many others, passed away alone in her nursing home this July. He noted that over 100,000 have been infected with COVID-19 in South Carolina and 3,000 have died.
“No, we shouldn’t blame the president, we shouldn’t blame anybody for the inception of this disease,” Harrison said. “Where blame should come is how we handle this disease, whether or not we take it seriously.”
In response to a question regarding concerns raised by educators, parents and students about the lack of PPE and widespread testing in schools, Graham argued that “shutting the country down has an effect of its own,” before describing a “worst-case scenario.”
“If [the Democrats] keep the house, take over the senate and Biden is president, God help us all,” he said.
Harrison acknowledged the difficulty inherent to teaching students from home, providing anecdotes about his own experiences with his children. He condemned the Senate, the White House and the governors for their failure to act, before arguing in favor of expanded testing and a mask mandate.
“Senator Graham said ‘over our dead bodies’ will we allow federal extension of unemployment benefits,” Harrison pointed out. “Folks need that money, small businesses need that money.”
Graham said that he initially was in favor of the unemployment benefits, but that it became evident to him that the expansion might incentivize lower-wage workers to refuse to return to work.
“I’m for making you whole, not giving you a pay raise in unemployment,” Graham said.
In light of the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court, the moderator asked each candidate whether a woman has a right to control her body, even on the subject of abortion.
“I believe she does. Men have rights to control their bodies and women should have equal rights to control their bodies as well,” Harrison said, before pivoting to women’s healthcare. He noted that South Carolina has some of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation and that two years ago 14 of our 46 counties lacked a single OBGYN.
Graham said that he is against abortions taking place after five weeks and said that the United States is one of few developed nations that allowed such procedures to take place.
“Amy Barrett will be a buffer to liberalism,” he said.
The Trump administration has made efforts to cut payroll taxes for the remainder of 2020, and even proposed to maintain this cut permanently. Payroll taxes, imposed on both employers and employees in every paycheck, are essential to help fund social security and medicare services, and cuts such as these may heavily reduce benefits available now and in the future.
Graham claimed he’d do “whatever it takes” to save Social Security, even if that meant taking in less taxes and subsequently reducing the size of Social Security and Medicare benefits.
“[Graham] said that Social Security and Medicare were promises that we can’t keep. Senator, I’m sorry, but these are not promises. People have paid into these systems and they deserve to get the money back that they put into it,” Harrison said.
Strapped for time, the final question from the moderator about ensuring equity in education gave Harrison the opportunity to highlight the student debt crisis. He said that both he and his wife remain saddled with student debt, and asserted that he would fight to lower tuition costs for students.
Rather than provide insight on his plans to offset the failures of the education system, Graham opted instead to rattle off a round of personal attacks on his opponent.
“Mr. Harrison, pay off your student loans so somebody else can go to school. You’re a multimillionaire,” Graham said, adding that Harrsion, “cashed in on politics.”
“You are worried about everybody else’s paycheck but your own,” Harrison said in response. He said that while Graham opposed extending unemployment benefits to those affected by COVID-19, he’d personally sought to increase his own salary three times throughout his time in office.
“I appreciate the thoughtfulness, that you are so concerned about my student loans, but senator, let me tell you, I pay them on time.” Harrison said.
Graphic by Lizzy Talbert.
