Commentary
They call it a debate, the meeting Thursday night between President Biden and former President Trump, but in reality, it’s not a debate, like we think of when we are reminded of the Lincoln-Douglass debate, or even our high school debates.
Yet, it is expected to draw the largest audience of any prior debate.
Unless you watch CNN or MSNBC, or if you’ve just tuned out the news, it makes no sense for me to rehash what to expect from CNN’s broadcast.
We’ve been told by CNN that “no two people are better equipped” than Jake Tapper and Dana Bash to moderate the debate.
However, there were raised eyebrows among critics, including mine, when CNN announced that Tapper would moderate the first presidential debate, primarily because of his hostile coverage towards Trump.
“For tens of millions of our fellow Americans: their long national nightmare is over.” – Jake Tapper, calling the 2020 election for Biden
“With four weeks until Iowans cast the nation’s first votes in the 2024 presidential race, the dehumanizing rhetoric of Adolf Hitler is once again alive and well on the national political stage.” Jake Tapper
Sharing CNN’s firing squad will be Bash, who referred to the 2020 Biden-Trump debate as a ”s**t show” because of Trump in an on-air uncensored remark.
She insinuated that he incited the breach of the Capitol on January 6, when she said, “Maybe he didn’t start any new wars abroad, but he completely incited battle, I would say, war domestically,” in response to his White House farewell.
Bash has also referred to Trump as “dangerous.”
It surely appears that Trump will be facing more than Biden, as Tapper and Bash are not expected to give him any chance to cite any facts about his first term or the Biden record. Expect the moderators to make use of the mute button if Trump strays into territory considered out of bounds by the moderators.
Having the mute button could turn out to provide critics with red meat following the debate.
I understand that Biden has been holed up at Camp David for a week with 16 advisors who have been coaching him and providing him with snappy retorts.
Reportedly a stage was constructed for him and they have had him standing at a lectern for 90 minutes at the same time in the evening the actual debate will be staged.
How pathetic. A president requiring that preparation should tell the American voters about their leader.
Some on the left have indicated that Biden could be replaced if he is unable to perform as necessary. I see that as unlikely.
Meanwhile, Trump has been continuing his campaigning.
Rasmussen Reports survey picks Trump to win by a 47 to 37 percent margin.
From Jess Bidgood of the New York Times “On Politics,” she reports mixed feelings by Democrats among some 600 who responded to her recent view of what to expect.
She reported “excitement” and “confidence” for Biden, but also learned that “many of you have come down with a case of deep debate distress.”
With Trump’s past bombast in debates, a Trump supporter told her “Trump just needs to not get too aroused and keep calm.”
Perhaps the best commentary came from The Epoch Times’ writers Emel Akan and Lawrence Wilson:
“The high stakes debate will be a crucial platform for the two oldest candidates in U.S. history to demonstrate their energy, appearance, coherence, and responsiveness, making it a pivotal event that could shape the presidential race.
“The first debate offers both candidates a chance to change the race’s momentum.”
That depends to a large degree on the freedom of speech permitted by Tapper and Bash.
SIDEBAR –While Trump would like the Supreme Court to announce its decision on immunity prior to the debate, believing it will favor him, look for the justices to avoid a controversy and announce it on Friday morning.
May God continue to bless the United States of America.
