Judging by the ever increasing number of think pieces from liberal columnists and commentators on why Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden shouldn’t debate President Donald Trump, you’d think debates were a big deal.
They are.
If you’re old enough, you might remember the Kennedy-Nixon Presidential debates in 1960, when television proved pivotal in securing victory for a patrician John F. Kennedy against a doughy-looking Richard Nixon.
Then, too, there was the famous answer to a question put to sitting president Ronald Reagan in the debate with Democratic nominee Walter Mondale.
At the time, Reagan’s age had become an issue. He was 73 and people were wondering whether he had the vigor necessary to run the country.
Reagan, ever the showman, nipped that in the bud with his famous quip about not holding the youth and inexperience of Mondale against him, eliciting laughter not only from the crowd but from Mondale himself.
Walter was finished at that point.
Debates matter.
So it’s little wonder that liberal commentators are worried about the scheduled debates between Biden and Trump. A poor showing by Biden could easily lose him this coming election.
As it stands, the first presidential debate is set to take place at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland on September 29 and the second debate is scheduled for the Arsht Center on October 15 and the third and final debate is set for October 22 on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville.
The commentators and strategists who are advising Biden to not debate Trump are trying to come up with any number of reasons why the Democratic nominee shouldn’t debate, with the consensus being that the debates are just a wrestling match that don’t really address the issues.
Trump, they argue, will just lie and get away with it and he’ll play to the audience.
The real reason that they’re all advising Biden to not debate, of course, is that they know full well that Biden is suffering from dementia and could not possibly win a debate with Trump.
If anyone doubts that Biden’s debating skills are sorely lacking, they should look at his performance during the leadership debates against fellow Democrats.
Biden in 2020 is not the Biden of 1988. Back then Joe was feisty.
Today, Biden forgets where he is and has trouble putting two sentences together.
Now, Biden has been leading the polls of late and has managed to garner that lead by saying virtually nothing. For the most part, he’s spent his time in his basement and has made a few videos.
What’s been working for Biden is something over which he has no control – the corona virus pandemic which has killed hundreds of thousands worldwide and lain waste to the economies of the world.
There is little doubt that the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic is perceived to be inadequate and it’s cost the president support.
But Trump’s numbers have been rising and its in no small part to his efforts to restore a modicum of order to riot plagued cities.
All of which explains why the scheduled debates have taken on a renewed sense of importance. When Biden was clearly in the lead, liberal commentators and strategists weren’t worried, but now that the race is tightening up, the debate are important. A poor showing by Biden could spell his end.
Imagine, too, what would happen if there’s an announcement of a Covid vaccine in October?
Or what about a massive earthquake on the west Coast (this is 2020)?
What are the Democrats willing to risk?
Biden, for his part, says he is more than willing to debate Trump. Back in July, Biden told reporters that he could hardly wait. “I can hardly wait to deal with what he refers to himself as a ‘stable genius.’”
As for Trump, his campaign organizers are actually trying to get a few more debates, confident that their boss would wipe the floor with Biden.
Will the Trump-Biden debates decide the election?
There’s little doubt they would be watched by millions of voters. People want to see how their leaders perform, how they handle themselves, how they express themselves and whether they can think on their feet.
After all, when you consider everything that leaders have had to contend with in 2020, that isn’t too much to ask.
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
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