Lets not forget... Any rational person knows that the liberal debate moderators, including Chris Wallace, went after Trump in a biased manner. Trump was not just debating his debate opponent. He was debating the moderators. That is not how a debate is supposed to work. Most of the moderators in the 2020 debates had a political agenda.... F with Trump, go after him and protect Biden. Did Trump handle this in the best way... no. But that is part of the reason he was a D&^% on the debate stage. And frankly, I don't blame him
Mr. McWhorter speaks of 'debate skill' and the degree to which any candidate (Trump!) can grasp and is willing to wrestle actual issues. And he won't (and neither will Biden) But the answer to that objection is 'so what?'.
I've watched countless political debates and really can't think of a single one in which the two performers (for they are, in fact, performers) actually, rationally, and deliberately parsed real issues. Of course they don't.
That may be the nominal purpose of a so-called Debate. But the real purpose is very similar to that served by the Miss America Swimsuit Competition (sadly come and gone, I guess). It's to see the candidates LIVE and IN-PERSON deal with the moderator's question....and, unlike the swimsuit competition, their opponent's response to same. It's to watch the song & dance and try to decide which is the worst, who is the cleverest, what was the wittiest thing said, by whom, and -- much like that swimsuit show -- who looks the best under pressure.
That's it; that's all.
Sure, it'd be nice to hear an actual debate...and it'd be helpful to listen to a reasoned presentation of policy options....but you can't find that much of anywhere (save here, every now & then). What we'll find instead is Strike-a-Pose Voguing and the occasionally ingenious use of a platform opportunity to launch into some completely unrelated (but always passionate) screed of a different sort.
Trump will produce much bombastic blather; it's true. But Biden, old & frail & demented man that he is, will only blither & rage (which is not unusual for one who suffers from age-related dementia). It's sad and undoubtedly tragic for Joe's family...but it's terrifying for the country he leads.
So let it happen. Let the show go on. Let us see these Would-Be-Emperors without their 'clothes', without their handlers, without their scripts & prompters & note cards; let us see them without the wife to come on stage to lead them to the exit.
Of course it won't be about the issues. Though issue-related points will indeed be made, and rightfully so. It will be about how we the electorate see them, hear them, and understand them as they strive to meet the demands of the moment.
And when it becomes evident -- as most of us believe it will -- that Biden can't handle the moment , then it equally becomes evident that he has no business anywhere near the Presidency...which is full of moments much more challenging than a simple TV Dog & Pony Show.
So yes...on with the debate!
[And no, watching either performer, live, on-stage, by themselves would not be the same; not even close. I want to see them pushed; I want to seem them passionate; I want to see them perform when someone else who opposes them is on the stage with them. Would anyone suggest a Superbowl in which each team occupies the field, by themselves for 2 hours...and then we let Jim Nance & Tony Romo decide who won??? God, no!]
It ceases to amaze me that someone as smart as McWhorter is so caught up in the TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) that is plaguing the smart people I know.
Debate is a kind of non-physical combat. If Trump, in all his bravado and machismo, demands a debate, Biden simply cannot refuse the challenge and maintain his honor.
Biden knows he can’t back down. That would be a concession of defeat.
And anyway, Biden had a great State of the Union. He’s always been a strong debater. In my view, he should be chomping at the bit to debate Trump and once again show the American people why he’s the right man for the job.
John: "I do think he's not smart enough to grasp the issues. But more to the point, he [Trump] won't engage in debate in that way. All he's going to do is beat his chest and war and do that thing that he does. He can't debate." That's precisely why they should debate. People need to see that. Trump's speeches in front of his adoring crowds are basically free association. (Go watch his 2-hour "speech" in Rome, Georgia). It's easy for him to speak extemporaneously when he's just recycling his greatest hits. He might not look so smooth when discussing matters not of his own choosing.
I think both John and Glenn are selling Biden short. There is no reason to believe that Biden has dementia. Like many people his age, he sometimes experiences "retrieval failure". That's the temporary inability to remember a name or a date. Happens all the time to people and it gets worse with age. But it has nothing to do with judgment or cognitive ability.
If Trump wants to debate, Biden pretty much has to go along with it or the age issue will stand out more than ever. I agree with Glenn: both candidates owe this to the electorate.
In 2016, I watched the first ten minutes of the first debate. But I couldn’t take the lies on both sides, so I turned it off. In 2020, I watched the first debate. What Trump needed to do was let Biden demonstrate his oncoming dementia, which meant letting Biden talk. But he couldn’t do it - he insisted on doing most of the talking, constantly interrupting Biden, thus denying Biden the opportunity to prove that he couldn’t give a sustained 2-minute answer. So if there are no debates (and there won’t be unless Biden withdraws), we won’t miss much. And if there are, they will be the least watched debates in television history.
The elitism of McWhorter is oozing in this episode. The great unwashed, from the left and the right, cannot be trusted to evaluate these candidates, especially because, from an oratorical perspective, it will not be a contest. This attitude perfectly represents why Biden will lose the election in a landslide - or should I say it will be a “bloodbath”? The masses, even some traditional democrats, will see the obvious, and vote (or stay home) accordingly.
Given the abject spectacle of last time my instinctive answer is "No" but the American people need every opportunity to see how completely off the rails Trump has gone even since 4 years ago.
John’s defense of Biden’s coming “I won’t debate the orange man” smacked of partisanship, subconscious or otherwise. As a master of language, John and other liberals know that a cognitively impaired Biden will show very poorly against Trump. I despise the orange man but it is clear that his ability to speak and communicate is vastly better than Biden. Trump gives 2 hour rallies where he speaks extemporaneously speak to thousands. Biden can barely speak a sentence without misspeaking, mumbling, speaking nonsense ect. The Democratic Party has taken a massive risk running Biden again and now they will try to hide a very debilitated candidate from the public but it won’t work. The bad Orange man is going to win.
Lets not forget... Any rational person knows that the liberal debate moderators, including Chris Wallace, went after Trump in a biased manner. Trump was not just debating his debate opponent. He was debating the moderators. That is not how a debate is supposed to work. Most of the moderators in the 2020 debates had a political agenda.... F with Trump, go after him and protect Biden. Did Trump handle this in the best way... no. But that is part of the reason he was a D&^% on the debate stage. And frankly, I don't blame him
Of course they should debate.
How can there be a question?
Mr. McWhorter speaks of 'debate skill' and the degree to which any candidate (Trump!) can grasp and is willing to wrestle actual issues. And he won't (and neither will Biden) But the answer to that objection is 'so what?'.
I've watched countless political debates and really can't think of a single one in which the two performers (for they are, in fact, performers) actually, rationally, and deliberately parsed real issues. Of course they don't.
That may be the nominal purpose of a so-called Debate. But the real purpose is very similar to that served by the Miss America Swimsuit Competition (sadly come and gone, I guess). It's to see the candidates LIVE and IN-PERSON deal with the moderator's question....and, unlike the swimsuit competition, their opponent's response to same. It's to watch the song & dance and try to decide which is the worst, who is the cleverest, what was the wittiest thing said, by whom, and -- much like that swimsuit show -- who looks the best under pressure.
That's it; that's all.
Sure, it'd be nice to hear an actual debate...and it'd be helpful to listen to a reasoned presentation of policy options....but you can't find that much of anywhere (save here, every now & then). What we'll find instead is Strike-a-Pose Voguing and the occasionally ingenious use of a platform opportunity to launch into some completely unrelated (but always passionate) screed of a different sort.
Trump will produce much bombastic blather; it's true. But Biden, old & frail & demented man that he is, will only blither & rage (which is not unusual for one who suffers from age-related dementia). It's sad and undoubtedly tragic for Joe's family...but it's terrifying for the country he leads.
So let it happen. Let the show go on. Let us see these Would-Be-Emperors without their 'clothes', without their handlers, without their scripts & prompters & note cards; let us see them without the wife to come on stage to lead them to the exit.
Of course it won't be about the issues. Though issue-related points will indeed be made, and rightfully so. It will be about how we the electorate see them, hear them, and understand them as they strive to meet the demands of the moment.
And when it becomes evident -- as most of us believe it will -- that Biden can't handle the moment , then it equally becomes evident that he has no business anywhere near the Presidency...which is full of moments much more challenging than a simple TV Dog & Pony Show.
So yes...on with the debate!
[And no, watching either performer, live, on-stage, by themselves would not be the same; not even close. I want to see them pushed; I want to seem them passionate; I want to see them perform when someone else who opposes them is on the stage with them. Would anyone suggest a Superbowl in which each team occupies the field, by themselves for 2 hours...and then we let Jim Nance & Tony Romo decide who won??? God, no!]
It ceases to amaze me that someone as smart as McWhorter is so caught up in the TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) that is plaguing the smart people I know.
No, they shouldn’t. I’d sooner watch paint dry
This may be John’s worst take ever.
Debate is a kind of non-physical combat. If Trump, in all his bravado and machismo, demands a debate, Biden simply cannot refuse the challenge and maintain his honor.
Biden knows he can’t back down. That would be a concession of defeat.
And anyway, Biden had a great State of the Union. He’s always been a strong debater. In my view, he should be chomping at the bit to debate Trump and once again show the American people why he’s the right man for the job.
John: "I do think he's not smart enough to grasp the issues. But more to the point, he [Trump] won't engage in debate in that way. All he's going to do is beat his chest and war and do that thing that he does. He can't debate." That's precisely why they should debate. People need to see that. Trump's speeches in front of his adoring crowds are basically free association. (Go watch his 2-hour "speech" in Rome, Georgia). It's easy for him to speak extemporaneously when he's just recycling his greatest hits. He might not look so smooth when discussing matters not of his own choosing.
I think both John and Glenn are selling Biden short. There is no reason to believe that Biden has dementia. Like many people his age, he sometimes experiences "retrieval failure". That's the temporary inability to remember a name or a date. Happens all the time to people and it gets worse with age. But it has nothing to do with judgment or cognitive ability.
If Trump wants to debate, Biden pretty much has to go along with it or the age issue will stand out more than ever. I agree with Glenn: both candidates owe this to the electorate.
In 2016, I watched the first ten minutes of the first debate. But I couldn’t take the lies on both sides, so I turned it off. In 2020, I watched the first debate. What Trump needed to do was let Biden demonstrate his oncoming dementia, which meant letting Biden talk. But he couldn’t do it - he insisted on doing most of the talking, constantly interrupting Biden, thus denying Biden the opportunity to prove that he couldn’t give a sustained 2-minute answer. So if there are no debates (and there won’t be unless Biden withdraws), we won’t miss much. And if there are, they will be the least watched debates in television history.
Trump cannot answer questions? He spars with reporters almost every day, sometimes for 10-15 minutes, does a lot of interviews. Poor John...
Everybody knows why Democrats will never allow Biden to have a debate, but at least Mr. McWhorter needs to come up with something more inventive.
Put a diaper on Biden and let's see it.
It could be a pay per view, and the proceeds would go to reduce the national debt.
The elitism of McWhorter is oozing in this episode. The great unwashed, from the left and the right, cannot be trusted to evaluate these candidates, especially because, from an oratorical perspective, it will not be a contest. This attitude perfectly represents why Biden will lose the election in a landslide - or should I say it will be a “bloodbath”? The masses, even some traditional democrats, will see the obvious, and vote (or stay home) accordingly.
Given the abject spectacle of last time my instinctive answer is "No" but the American people need every opportunity to see how completely off the rails Trump has gone even since 4 years ago.
John’s defense of Biden’s coming “I won’t debate the orange man” smacked of partisanship, subconscious or otherwise. As a master of language, John and other liberals know that a cognitively impaired Biden will show very poorly against Trump. I despise the orange man but it is clear that his ability to speak and communicate is vastly better than Biden. Trump gives 2 hour rallies where he speaks extemporaneously speak to thousands. Biden can barely speak a sentence without misspeaking, mumbling, speaking nonsense ect. The Democratic Party has taken a massive risk running Biden again and now they will try to hide a very debilitated candidate from the public but it won’t work. The bad Orange man is going to win.