Are The Next Two Debates Even Worth It?
Biden successfully shows the contrast between being presidential and being un-presidential. So, do you want four more years of the latter?
Publisher’s Riff
Special insights heard daily at #RealityCheck on WURD every Mon - Thur, 10am - 1pm ET LIVE at wurdradio.com or facebook.com/forwurd (9.29.20 edition)
Joe Biden should seriously consider not participating in the remaining debates - seriously. We wonder out loud if it’s even worth it. Tuesday night’s exercise was completely non-productive. The most significant thing that happened that night was probably at 9:30pm ET - that moment 30 minutes in to the debate when millions of Americans just tuned out and possibly changed the channel, too. We’ll wager that happened.
Debate night showed the American people that the current president has no interest in waging a productive and civil exchange on what his plan is for navigating the country through a crisis - should his attempt to suppress and steal the election succeed. He has no plan, and he’s not interested in one. The problem here is that we can’t really remember a thing Trump said the entire time. The president was actually talking all over himself the entire time. The most alarming points in this conversation that people will remember: 1) an American President still refusing to condemn white domestic terrorists and throwing out bizarre activation codes (“stand back, stand by”). And: 2) an American President so frightened of losing that he shamelessly promoted election fraud.
There’s no “both siding” tonight. Biden won - by virtue of, simply, looking presidential. He remained calm. He didn’t engage in tit-for-tat. He let the contrast speak for itself. He was still imperfect, but he was solid. There were a few moments where he’ll need to reassess and be more careful: such as the president’s jab on the distortions surrounding the infamous 1994 Crime Bill, which needs unpacking for segments of the Black electorate. Biden also needs to watch it when Trump and Republicans attempt to further sow divisions between him and progressives: his responses on issues such as how much he beat Bernie and on the new Green Deal clearly irked many elements of the left (including some out there who are looking for an insane excuse not to vote for Biden).
Still, Biden was good. And his solid performance contrasted with the very unpresidential mess that is the president. That very unpresidential, pugnacious and childish performance - from an un-American Commander-in-Chief with access to the most destructive nuclear arsenal on the planet - prompted many people who are claiming they are “undecided” (which is, in an of itself, unbelievable) think: “Do we really want more of this sh*t for four more years?”
We are by no means better off now than we were four years ago. That was definitely clear last night. The president may be underestimating how exhausted everyone is from this. His show may have been novel in 2016, but it’s worn out its welcome in 2020. People are dying, every crisis indicator is on red alert, all while the nation is in a tailspin - and the president is acting like a damn fool. Enough already.