By Chris Buskirk
“Teacher, help. The President is being mean to me.” That’s the rough translation of Joe Biden’s frequent, desperate appeals to moderator, Chris Wallace during last night’s debate with Donald Trump. The former Vice President came in for some rough treatment by the current leader of the free world.
From the starting shot, President Trump was on the front foot, peppering Biden with a flurry of verbal blows: taunts, accusations, barbed criticisms for Biden, declarations of sublime political skill, triumph against longs odds, and exemplary selflessness for himself. Biden didn’t know what hit him. But he should have. And so should have his advisers and debate coaches. This is Trump’s style.
Trump is a streetfighter waging asymmetric warfare against a traditional foe who is reviewing the rules of engagement and consulting the lawyers back at headquarters before doing anything. And all the while he’s getting pummelled. Idealists will say that it wasn’t very presidential, that they didn’t dig into policy and educate the American people, where was the dignity?
Welcome to electoral politics. It’s always been thus. Founding Father John Adams delighted in calling fellow Founder Alexander Hamilton, “the bastard brat of a Scotch peddler.” Adams himself came in for similar treatment during the election of 1800 when he was called an hermaphrodite reportedly at the behest of Thomas Jefferson.
We didn’t get any of that last night. But there’s another debate next week so keep your fingers crossed.
One of the most interesting and telling exchanges came about an hour into the debate. In some ways each man showed himself in his purest form. Joe Biden delivered what was very obviously a well-rehearsed, set-piece attack on President Trump. You could see the windup, like a boxer pulling his arm way back, fist clenched, preparing to deliver the knockout blow. Biden started by repeating the accusation that Trump disrespectfully criticises the military, calling them losers and suckers. The story has been debunked repeatedly by multiple sources including those hostile to the president like John Bolton. But it’s part of the Biden campaign’s strategy. So he levels the accusations and then begins to eulogise his son, Beau Biden, who served in Iraq, and later died of brain cancer. This makes it all personal to Joe, you see. He’s defending his dead son against a mythical slander from the bad orange man. Biden even points a finger at Trump, “My son is not a loser!”
Trauma mining to score points in a debate is a desperately cynical piece of political theatre. But, I suppose they calculate that if it works you get to be president. (I’ll pass, thanks.) It was pure Biden: scripted, saccharine, playing by the rules of a game that has long since ended. In case you think I’m too cynical, that surely this couldn’t have been orchestrated, Joe Biden’s official Twitter account posted a photo of Joe and Beau with the caption, “Beau was not a loser” just as the debate ended.
And just so, Trump. He looked at his podium and quietly, respectfully, asked, which son Biden was talking about. Of course, he knew, but he played the game forcing Biden to respond, Beau. “Oh, I don’t know him. I know Hunter.”
Trump was agile, aggressive, and vigorous
And then listed the accusations against Hunter: he took a $1.5 billion investment from China into the fledgling investment company he ran with John Kerry’s son while his father was Vice President and en route to China. He received $3.5 million from the mayor of Moscow. He had a sinecure from a Ukranian energy company while his father was Obama’s pointman on Ukraine policy. (NB: Hunter had no experience in business let along the energy business.) It was as sweet a move as I’ve ever seen. The knockout punch was coming with all the force Joe Biden could muster and Trump simply sidestepped it and counterpunched.It was an impressive display of natural animal cunning. And it could make the difference in the election. Trump was agile, aggressive, and vigorous, taking what he wanted when he wanted it. This offends some people’s sensibilities. He’s transgressive. He doesn’t play according to the rules. But for others, that’s part of the appeal
Trump’s points of fact have been confirmed.
33 of Biden’s debate points have been debunked, some so badly that even Trump’s enemies admit them, like John Bolton and the NYTimes, even ABC News.
How old and out of touch must you be to stick with already destroyed talking points?
I almost felt sorry for Biden, but no.
@Nan G: Dont feel sorry for lunchpail kid Joe he and Barry are getting tax payers dollars slushed backto them as speaking fees, tv ,contracts and book deals. They have only been in the government never ran a business paid anyones wages not one honest penny. Both are multi-millionaires, living in huge mansions trying hard to create an illusion that they GAF about the people of America.
Trump acted just like Biden did in his debate with Paul Ryan. Now Biden is crying about it?
The best post-debate review by far….
The Trump debate decoded: He won, and he won big
@July 4th American: I watched the debate just to confirm that Biden really is the horrorshow that he is, and the Dems likewise.
I also watched to see how Don is holding up. He’s still the same, and that’s why he deserves my vote.
Consistency. He’s stood for the same things since 1987.
Biden will say anything, and answering a question with “that’s simply not true” is what a middle school student does, not someone who wants to be the leader of the free world.
Dems are staging a coup.
@July 4th American: Keep in mind, though, that no one really cares what Biden says, thinks or promises. He will be discarded by March, 2021.
The debates would serve us better were there not any moderator(s). In the latest debacle, Wallace challenged President Trump repeatedly where his statement were factual attacks against sleepy joe. But, when sleepy joe made outlandish lies and misstatements, Wallace did not challenge sleepy joe and actually interrupted President Trump essentially allowing the lie and misstatement to stand. That is a total improper role of a moderator.
The commission is now talking about having some flu joe with a mic button deciding when to cut off the mics. The Trump campaign would be wise to say hell no to that shit.
@Deplorable Me:
Agree: the paedo joey will be gone by use of 25th Amendment, and kamaslut will pull barfly polosi as her vp.
In 2014 the US military was on the verge of a military takeover of this country. obama-shit’s poor leardership and his resegratation policies continue to be felt. obama is a gay muslin terrorist no two way about it