I found USA Today’s editorial on the “presidential” “debate”, which was neither presidential nor a debate, apt, more’s the pity. The U. S. is infected with more than COVID-19:
In the midst of a deadly coronavirus pandemic, economic distress and racial turmoil, American voters deserved a serious exploration of the nation’s problems and the range of solutions. Instead, they got a chaotic insult fest that was like one of those awful 90-minute movies that leave the audience dumber than when it went into the theater.
Entering Tuesday night’s clash in Cleveland, it was clear what each presidential nominee had to accomplish.
For Democrat Joe Biden, the task was to present himself as an acceptable alternative for anyone turned off by President Donald Trump. Biden has spent his lengthy career being just that: acceptable, nothing extraordinary, but not too hot, not too cold; not too hard, not too soft; not too liberal, not too conservative. At 77, his remaining task was to prove he is not too old, or too solicitous of the extreme left.
For Trump, the goal was a bit more complex, and highly contrary to his nature. He had an opportunity not just to energize his base and heap congratulations on himself, but also to reach out to the relatively few undecided voters and outline a second-term agenda. He particularly needed to appeal to women, who, polls suggest, have deserted him in droves since he took office.
concluding
This was not the presidential debate that Trump needed to catch up with poll-leading Biden. More important, it was not the kind of debate that reassures America about the fate of its troubled democracy.
I have no idea what Trump was thinking. He didn’t convince me of anything other than that he’s unsuited to be president, that’s for sure.
Trump was thinking.
Seemed like he was thinking about the media, and how he doesn’t get a fair shake, how he expects Biden’s issues to get a pass and his to be front page news.
He has a point but tried to cover so much ground he only seemed angry and incoherent.
If there was a strategy is may have been to draw Biden in and make him stumble off script. Trump seems so angry it made Biden’s shining dentures look appealing.
Also, did anyone else think the camera was set to bring Biden in closer, larger, than Trump?
What’s reassuring to many Americans is not how good or bad Trump’s “presidential demeanor†is, but rather how positive or negative his policies are for this country. For instance there are no republicans weighing packing the court, bringing in DC as a state (which I’ve heard is unconstitutional), considering ditching the filibuster, making the electoral college passé. Schumer just said this week that everything above is on the table, should the Dems win the WH and he gains control of the Senate.
Some state dem governors have even gone further in their attempt to reconfigure the vast reach of their governance. Here in CA Newsom has signed a series of bills demanding tight diversity standards for publicly owned companies by 2022. In a state already burdened by lockdowns, small business failures, debt, and people rushing to leave (all interstate Uhauls are booked through the end of the year), Newsom is only creating more incentives for productive taxpayers to run for the exits. Furthermore, Newsom is creating the first task force to study reparations, which he hopes will sweep the country.
With Dems sidelining law and order affiliations, arming themselves mainly with wildly destructive plans to change our republic and the rule of law, Trump’s intemperate personality might appear like an asset, similar to a strong firewall resisting the infection of a democrat takeover. That’s certainly my own POV.
“For instance there are no republicans weighing packing the court, bringing in DC as a state (which I’ve heard is unconstitutional), considering ditching the filibuster, making the electoral college passé.”
Why would there be? You guys get to rule the country despite having many fewer people vote for you. Suppose the founders of the country had set up a different system and Democrats got to dominate the Supreme Court, the Senate and the Presidency despite winning 10%-20% fewer votes than Republicans. I think that you would then consider that a problem. Suppose that the states representing 40% of our population got to effectively choose the POTUS and Senate majority, and they always chose Democrats? You would be fine with that? For how long?
Back on topic, I think trump just wanted to look “strong”. In charge. I think it largely worked for his supporters. Substance was not that important. Just regurgitate the stuff he does at rallies, make the base happy.
Steve
The popular vote in 2016 was very close. And, if you take out one of the states having a reputation for voter fraud, California, Trump would have won the popular vote too. As it was, he was way over the top on winning most of the American counties.
Changing a 9-member SCOTUS, however, has not happened since around the Civil War. Now the dem party is flirting with increasing the Supreme. Court membership, adding states to heighten the possibility of more liberal senators, and disposIng of the EC for what purpose (?), other than for the likelihood of creating a one-party government In perpetuity. This super majority type of government is what has been choreographed in CA having jungle primaries, ballot harvesting, motor-voter ease introduced by the dem party when it came to power.
Well if you had on your bingo card that Trump would get coronavirus and it likely happened right before the debate so BOTH candidates are likely to require weeks of isolation — effectively cancelling the remaining debates; congratulations!
By the way; it is actually conceivable now that we may end up with 4 Presidents within the span of 6 months.
I think the script writers for 2020 have gone a bit overboard!
“And, if you take out one of the states having a reputation for voter fraud, California, Trump would have won the popular vote too.”
When you have to resort to lies and conspiracy theory to make a point you are losing. The GOP has been looking for that voter fraud since at least Bush was president. Not finding it. In an era of social media and smartphones it just isn’t possible to have millions of people voting fraudulently and not have it found out.