Befuddled

The debate result we were not expecting – but it doesn’t matter.

Trump was a nail waiting to be hammered, but Biden was a sponge that tore itself apart on the nail.

The best that can be said about the debate overall is that it was courteous and thoughtful (for a certain value of the word “thoughtful”). 

I was expecting fireworks and uncontrolled rage from Trump.

Sadly, that didn’t happen.

The worst thing – and the reason I have avoided writing about the debate in the lead-up period – is that I thought the debate itself was a tactical mistake on Biden’s part.  He automatically elevated Trump to a position of equality.  That is – was – not the reality.  Trump was a come-from-behind lizard who was being abandoned by his business supporters and everyone who did not worship in a tent on Sunday.

Instead, the debate was painful to watch.  Biden squinted at Trump, mouth agape, as Trump’s lies rolled out with confidence.  Trump blared out his lies and gave them more impact than Biden’s replies, just because they were said loudly and confidently.

On the abortion issue, for example, Trump told a series of lies - that the Supreme Court had approved the abortion pill (wrong, they gave it a temporary pass), that everyone was agreed on his stance on abortion (they are in fact agreed on exactly the opposite), and that Biden supports he murder of a baby in the ninth month just before it is born (seriously).

Biden fumbled his reply partly, I think, because of his Catholic background: he still can’t bring himself to say the word “abortion”.  He went into meandering explanations that had no conclusion, and gave no firm push-back to the lies.  He also said that the decision to have an abortion should be up to a doctor – completely ignoring the gist of the entire outrage about women deserving a choice in what happens to them.

I used to wonder why Biden did not do anything more effective when the Supreme Court originally came out with its decision – expand the Court immediately, override it with an Executive Order, arrest them…ANYTHING  -  but now I know.  On abortion, he is a reluctant warrior.

I also quibble a bit with CNN, who cut Biden off just as he was about to respond to something outrageous that Trump had just uttered.  I can understand the need to keep the agenda rolling, but there has to be room for a rebuttal.

Or maybe Biden just didn’t assert himself to make room for a rebuttal.

On another note, CNN asked Biden why border crossings had increased under his watch; they have not, they have gone down.  Biden did not point that out.

Biden did come back a bit mid-way through the debate, calling Trump a "whiner" and a "loser."  Kamala Harris went so far as to say that he had a “strong finish”.

In case you think this depressing view of Biden’s performance is a stand-alone personal opinion, we can scan a few of the articles in this morning’s media:

CNN:  “Biden has shaky debate showing as Trump repeats falsehoods… In the first debate matchup between President Biden and former President Donald Trump, Biden turned in a lackluster performance that has some Democrats wondering if concerns about his age might be valid.”

MSNBC:   “If a debate cannot be won but only lost, Donald Trump may not have won on Thursday — but President Joe Biden certainly lost, and in spectacular fashion. The president gave one of the worst debate performances in recent memory.” 

Washington Post:   “Biden stumbles in fiery debate as Trump spreads falsehoods…President Biden struggled through a raspy voice and uneven delivery Thursday to unleash a charged and deeply personal attack on his longtime rival, former president Donald Trump, who responded in kind with a blizzard of personal gibes and falsehoods at the first presidential debate of the cycle.”

New York Times: “Biden struggles as Trump blusters in contentious debate…a fumbling performance and a panicking party.”

San Francisco Chronicle:  “Joe Biden’s disastrous performance amplifies spotlight on Gavin Newsom.”

Fox News:  “President Biden's rough performance at the CNN Presidential Debate has caused an earthquake across the media landscape, ranging from "dismal" reviews to vocal calls on the left for him to withdraw from the 2024 race. CNN's John King put a spotlight on the "very aggressive panic in the Democratic Party" that began in the early minutes of the debate.

The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart:  “Let me just say, after watching tonight’s debate, both of these men should be using performance-enhancing drugs.”

The Atlantic’s David Graham:  “In tonight’s first debate of the presidential campaign, the president appeared meandering, confused, and extremely frail. Biden’s performance was at times almost physically uncomfortable to watch and will greatly amplify the calls for him to step aside.  The question for many people before the debate was whether Biden would stumble. They didn’t have to wait long for an answer. He looked and sounded shaky from the moment he stepped somewhat creakily onstage in Atlanta. His voice came out in a faint whisper. And a few minutes in, Biden completely lost the thread while assailing Trump’s fiscal policy.”

Huffpost:  “The debate from hell…Biden prime time disaster…Full Dem panic – Biden replacement talk. Trump lied nearly non-stop, on everything from tariffs to the VA Choice Act to his role on Jan. 6 — and got away with it thanks to a tired and fumbling performance by Biden.

New York Post:  “Millions just witnessed the end of a presidency live on television. Joe Biden’s performance during the debate was embarrassing.  Whenever CNN put him up on the split screen, he had a thousand-yard stare. He didn’t look old. He looked ancient.  He looked empty.  But at least he wasn’t speaking.  Because when it was his time to answer, Biden was incoherent.”

AP News:  “Debate-watchers in the Biden and Trump camps seem to agree on something: Biden had a bad night.”

CBS News:  “In the first moments of Thursday's debate, President Biden stumbled as he flubbed some early lines as his voice appeared ready to give out, while sources said he was suffering from a cold.  Mr. Biden's voice never recovered throughout the 90-minute debate against former President Donald Trump — deflating chances of convincing Americans through his debate performance that at age 81 he is healthy enough to serve another four-year term in the White House.”

Jill Filipovic, Author: “The Thursday evening debate between president Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump was one of the most painful two hours of television in living memory. It was so bad, especially for the sitting president, that an idea that was largely marginal as late as last week is now coming into the mainstream: Maybe the Democratic Party needs to replace Joe Biden on the 2024 ticket.”

Sky News:   “Excruciating Biden debate performance against Trump was among worst in presidential history - if not the worst.”

Slate:  “Biden’s performance was such a disaster that it immediately shifted the Democratic conversation to whether Biden should be replaced atop the ticket. Biden sounded terrible, looked terrible, and debated terribly, either whiffing or missing opportunities to hammer Donald Trump, who was there to be hammered. When Biden did have strong points to make, it was frankly difficult to hear what he was saying. His resting mumble would occasionally rise for the recitation of a statistic, and then descend back into the murk.”

Daily Beast:  “The only way out would be for the party elders—in this case Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama—to approach Biden and convince him that he has done his time. “You are a true patriot Joe, and the country will never forget that or you, but now it’s time to step aside…”

One of the worst results was that Trump was able to assertively push his economic agenda, which will be a disaster for America.  He wants to continue his policy of tax cuts for the rich, which will plunge us into a huge recession.

Biden owed America a decisive “NO” on that one.  And while he did a good job of reporting his own economic progress, he did not shake the foundations of Trump’s ill-conceived and selfish plans.

Putin must be laughing this morning.  His candidate looked so good; Republican chances have never looked better.  His war with Ukraine could indeed end in victory.

Just like his election: it was so clean, simple and decisive.  No opposition to speak of. 

This is what the 2028 American election could look like: Trump, with no other real choices.  OK, maybe his sons.  Just to get the whole family on the ballot.

So let us remember that this vote in November is not about how Biden performed in one ill-advised debate.  It is about the choice between a dictator and a man who is thoughtful, progressive and socially supporting.

Because everything the media is saying about Biden is just about his performance in one night. 

Not about his record and his economic achievements, which are stellar.

I hope this is born in mind by those who are calling for his removal and replacement.  If Biden is pulled, says an expert who has never been wrong about elections (Allan Lichtman), the Democrats will lose.

David Frum lays it out eloquently:  “Against the threat of Trump, Americans must save themselves. The job of doing so cannot be delegated to some charismatic savior—and anyway, that charismatic savior has yet to present himself or herself. Television always wants to reduce active human beings to passive viewers. The presidential debate format has especially served this purpose: “Do I prefer the candidate in the red tie or the blue one?”

“This most recent debate has taught the danger of spectatorship. The job of saving democracy from Trump will be done not by an old man on a gaudy stage, but by those who care that their democracy be saved. Biden’s evident frailties have aggravated that job and made it more difficult, but they have also clarified whose job it was. Not his. Yours.”

The up-side is that undecided voters are probably still undecided.  One lady watching the debate in a bowling ally was reported by AP to have said:  “I’ve never seen Trump seem so coherent.  And I hate to say this, but Joe seemed a little bit off. But I still support him over Trump because Trump lied about every single thing that happened.”

Biden presented a positive image of America.  Trump’s lies reminded people of why they voted him out last time. And Biden’s fundraising efforts have built up a substantially larger coffer than Trump’s.

So in the best of all possible worlds, this debate will have no impact.

Just a word of caution: I would be very leery of any polling that comes out in the next few days.  The polls are way off, in Trump’s favor.  You’d think the media would have done a story on that already…but that would be investigative journalism.  It would take work.  We don’t do that in a reactive and superficial media environment.

My take-away: stay calm, and vote.  When Joe wins in November, this debate will be a dust-mite in the rear-view mirror.

But vote.

And stay tuned for the next televised debate, on September 10^th, on ABC News.  Biden has 85 days to look better.  It can be done.  He is good inside; just show it outside.