So, what did you think would happen? Did it play out the way you expected, hoped, or imagined? Two old guys, each a U.S. President, debating to decide the next U.S. President? It was hyped, it was promoted, it was much anticipated.
Conservatives couldn’t wait to see Trump demonstrate how old Biden has become, and Democrats could not wait to see Biden call Trump out for his lies and attack his legal problems. One of those things happened.
Biden did not have the capability to call out the many lies (yes, there were many), and looked even older than his 81 years. Trump gave numerous openings. In fact, he repeatedly teed up topics nicely for his opponent, yet Biden whiffed on every opportunity. And, when you consider that the current president would be 86 at the end of his potential next term, it has to give one pause.
In fact, pauses, and long slack-jawed stares during split-screen views of the debate, left more impression than anything Biden said. Looking at just the written transcripts, without the visual that we all witnessed, might lead you to believe that Biden did OK – but you can’t undo the visual.
In 1960, most people who listened, but did not view the debate on TV, thought Nixon beat Kennedy; but the visual made Kennedy the clear winner. Thursday’s visual favored Trump, big-time.
Both candidates denied every challenge to their individual records. It always amazes me that no candidate can ever say, “You know what? I messed up; I didn’t get the job done in that situation, but I did my best and I will continue to do my best.” I think it would move me, although I’ll never know. Apparently, some political study says it is always better to deny and deflect.
But Presidential debates are entertainment designed for optics, and the optics on Thursday night were of President Biden not being able to answer the bell. Biden’s campaign produced the excuse, “he has a cold,” thirty minutes into the debate. Really?
What’s next? Does Biden withdraw and say, “You take it Kamala or Gavin.” Or does he continue on?
On Friday, Biden provided an answer in an aggressive and confident speech, noting, “I intend to win this election. When you get knocked down, you get back up.”
In fact, he made statements in Friday’s speech that must make viewers wonder how those same phrases were NOT incorporated into the debate. Every politician has a couple of memorable lines prepared that can be used almost anywhere in the back-and-forth discussions of a debate. Neither candidate seemed to be able to land one.
But Friday, Biden said, “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to.” He followed that up with a confident voice that went unheard at the debate, “I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth! I know right from wrong! And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.”
He could have delivered that message anywhere in the debate and it would have been effective. He spent a week preparing, and then displayed slack-jawed blank stares and rambling answers that strayed from the topics he wanted to talk about, like abortion rights, to topics that Trump wanted to discuss, like immigration.
Biden categorically lost the debate. Trump won by being (wait for it) fairly disciplined. Having the microphones muted may have played to his advantage. Apart from a bizarre golfing dialogue that made the candidates seem eight instead of 80, Trump stayed on message, and talked about Joe Biden almost as much as he talked about himself. While rarely answering moderators’ posed questions, and failing every fact-check of most of the statements he did make, he still came across as a slightly restrained candidate. That’s the optics.
Biden came across as confused, indecisive, uncertain, and unprepared. He was not ready to nail Trump on obvious lies, and he had trouble even staying on topic. Double-haters (the new term for voters who want neither candidate) probably didn’t see much to impact their voting choice.
Maybe we should just let them play 18 and take the winner.
Curt MacRae is a resident of Coldwater, MI, and publishes opinion columns regularly.
Tweets @curtmacrae — comments to rantsbymac@gmail.com
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