And, sure, all of that. Mostly, though, the public outpouring was likely the result of the fact that Ken Bone represented, on Sunday … everyone. Not just in his official capacity—as one of the voters selected to ask a question of the candidates during the town hall-style debate—but also in an unofficial one: As a buffer. As a reminder of what is at stake in this election. As Mashable put it: “Ken Bone was the light in the dark second presidential debate tunnel.”

You could compare Ken, the elevated Everyman, to Joe the Plumber, the Ohio man who became a celebrity in 2008 when he asked then-candidate Obama a question about tax policy. Or to Tito the Builder. Or even, in a way, to Harry and Louise. Ken, though, is unique. The appeal of Ken, at least per his appearance on Sunday, is specifically that he is non-partisan. He doesn’t give a “human face” to a public policy; he instead gives a human face to a broader set of ideas and ideals that have been tested in this election cycle: Earnestness. Civility. What we will allow, as a citizenry, to be normalized in our political discourse.

Debates, which will always feature performances and pageantry, have long merged the logic of reality TV with the logic of reality itself. But rarely have they been so hateful. Rarely have they been so dirty. On Sunday, Donald Trump casually referred to his opponent as “the devil.” He threatened to throw her in jail. This was not the stuff of sighing or watch-checking or “where’s the beef?”-ing. It was personal and vitriolic—90 straight minutes of angry, ad hominem (or really, more often, ad feminam) attacks. Wherever you sit on the political spectrum, it was hard—it was profoundly sad—to watch.

And there, in the midst of all the ugliness—“like a Phoenix from America’s ashes”—was Ken Bone. Ken Bone, who had dressed up for the occasion. Ken Bone, who was listening and learning. Ken Bone, who was taking it all seriously. Ken Bone, who just wanted to hear about, you know, the things the candidates vying to become the next president might do to safeguard the future of the planet. And Ken Bone, who—as the Twitterer @zacthezac noted—“looks like the human version of a hug.”

Last night, more than ever, a hug is exactly what the nation needed.

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