No debate: American voters deserve better
The few Americans who actually expected this presidential debate to respectfully stick to the issues and refrain from personal attacks instead endured 90 minutes of what passes for discourse in our current caustic political environment.
The rest of us, while we knew better, could only shake our collective heads at the disappointing display exhibited by all the participants in that three-ring circus in Cleveland Tuesday night.
President Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden and moderator Fox News anchor Chris Wallace all failed in their responsibility to allow undecided voters to hear and understand the candidates’ differences on policy that would allow them to make an informed decision on Election Day.
As disconcerting as Trump’s over-the-top antics and Biden’s continual reliance of Democratic National Committee talking points instead of detailed answers were, Wallace’s total ineptitude in maintaining any sense of decorum was shocking.
For someone previously praised for his objective reporting and incisive, no-nonsense interviews, he acted more like a cub reporter than someone with a journalism background than spans a half century.
He failed miserably to uphold a moderator’s main mission — to allow each participant the time to either ask or answer a question without being interrupted — something that Trump did incessantly. And all too often, both Trump and Biden were allowed to stray from the topic of discussion, further adding to the debate’s oftentimes chaotic tenor.
Whether conscious of the conservative bias some might assume he’d bring to the table due to this network affiliation, Wallace seemed to go out of his way to put Trump on the defensive with questions about climate change, his reaction to the Charlottesville racial tumult and the New York Times’ supposed scoop on Trump’s tax returns.
Biden, by contrast, was never put under the same microscope — at least by Wallace — for all the political decisions he’s made or supported during his nearly 50 years in politics.
Trump tried, but Biden always backpedaled, as when he refused to say whether Democrats would try to pack — add more members — to the Supreme Court if he’s elected president, or to name a major police organization that supported his candidacy.
And ironically, Trump’s insistence on dominating the conversation worked to Biden’s advantage. Given his propensity to skew and mangle the facts with disjointed rhetoric, Trump’s dominance limited Biden’s exposure to those well-chronicled gaffes.
He did jumble a few facts, but nothing noteworthy.
As for the winner of this opening salvo? It obviously depends on your political lens. We doubt committed supporters of either candidate changed their opinions.
Trump, well, is Trump. His bombast is part of the package.
As for Biden, he seemed content on trying to woo his party’s center — if that still exists — while letting running mate Kamala Harris do the left-wing, progressive heavy lifting.
With just over a month before the nation goes to the polls to select its next president, Biden — much like Hillary Clinton four years earlier — appears to be in the driver’s seat. Apparently ahead overall and close, if not leading, in several battleground states, this race could be the former VP’S to lose.
However, with two more presidential and one vice presidential debate to come, there will be opportunities for Trump to either erase, or for Biden to widen, that lead.
Polls in 2016 failed to identify Clinton’s vulnerability in traditionally blue states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, which ultimately cost her the election.
We trust both candidates and future moderators all learned some valuable lessons that will make future debates more watchable — and informative.