Why Biden Should not Debate Trump
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recently suggested that candidate Joe Biden should not engage in a Presidential debate with Donald Trump. In the 2016 Presidential debate with Hilary Clinton, Trump behaved like an arrogant, immature and irresponsible bully. He is still the same person, or worse.
During the Presidential debate, Hilary demonstrated the perception of a mature and knowledgeable leader when she said that Trump was a Putin puppet. Trump, demonstrating all of the maturity of a spoiled second grader, responded. “No, you’re a Putin puppet.”
She was correct and her conclusion was deadly accurate. The tone and level of the debate deteriorated from there.
How can a person have a meaningful debate with an opponent whose debate strategy is to respond to valid criticism by saying, “No, you are.”
Trump is ridiculous and pathetic but his followers don’t seem to care. They celebrate his aggression and wallow in his cruelty.
During one debate, Trump stalked Hilary around the stage, invading her personal space and glaring at the back of her head for the benefit of the camera. What sane person does that?
Trump said repeatedly during the debates that the only way he could lose would be if the election was rigged against him, resulting in a stolen and invalid election. What loyal, sane American running for any political office would say that?
Of course, we now have good reason to suspect that Trump is not a loyal American. He is a Putin puppet.
Today, Trump is saying the very same thing that he said during the debates with Hilary. Trump says the only way he can lose in 2020 is if the election is “rigged.” Trump is deliberately sowing discord and doubt among the electorate, especially his supporters. Recent events during this past year has demonstrated conclusively that his supporters and random conspiracy crackpots will resort to deadly violence at the slightest excuse.
Imagine what Trump’s rabid and fanatical supporters will do when Joe Biden wins the election. Will President-elect Biden even be able to hold his inauguration in public?
If Trump’s defeat results in the horrific deaths of over 180,000 Americans, would he even care? Obviously not. (See the latest Covid19 death toll)
Then, there is the little matter that Trump is a proven pathological liar. The Washington Post has documented over 20,000 lies and misstatements in less than 4 years. An honest candidate such as Hilary Clinton or Joe Biden can’t have an meaningful exchange of ideas or philosophies of governance with a person who will lie with impunity and without shame.
The problem is that if Biden announces that he won’t participate in a debate with Trump for the reasons above and more, the Fox Newshounds and others of similar political bent will accuse Biden of being afraid that Trump will win the debate.
Thus, the Biden campaign should ask for certain reasonable conditions before agreeing to any debates. These reasonable stipulations would almost certainly force Trump to refuse to participate, although he will lie, bluster and insist that he will attend until the last minute when he doesn’t show up. With his tax returns to boot.
Here are a few reasonable suggestions that Trump and his campaign minions would not be able to tolerate.
In the middle of a pandemic, and with the assistance of modern electronic marvels like television, there is no need for the candidates to appear on the same stage.
Instead, each candidate will be televised from a one person sound booth at the media studio of their choice.
After opening remarks, moderators who are credentialed White House reporters, not TV talking heads, will question each candidate in turn. Thus the moderators, the White House reporters who know the president best, will have the opportunity to ask the questions that Trump and his spokes minions have lied about or just denied for the last 4 years. With both candidates live on camera neither Trump, or Biden, will have a place to hide.
While each candidate is answering the question within the specified time limit, the other candidate’s microphone will be turned off to ensure no interruptions.
Each candidate will be given an opportunity to respond to the other candidate’s misstatements or blatant lies.
However, while each candidate is either making opening statements, answering the direct questions, or making rebuttals, the moderators will “gong” each misstatement in real time. The candidate must then respond to the “gong” and explain a valid justification for the statement or withdraw it.
This “gong” process will have the added benefit of increasing the entertainment value of the debates and possibly increase viewership. Some sticklers might object to turning the debate process into a game show type format but clearly the historical process does not work when there is a Trump type candidate.
It is still to be determined whether a “gonged” candidate who has to correct or justify a misstatement will have their explanation time deducted from their allotted speaking time, or whether the moderators will call a time out. There are benefits and disadvantages to either choice.
The only drawback to this suggestion is that it’s likely that young viewers will turn the “gong” show format nto a drinking game and serious alcohol abuse might result when Trump is speaking.
In conclusion, the Trump campaign will never agree to these and other reasonable conditions, and thus will not be able to debase or corrupt yet another time honored American political tradition for the purpose of furthering his reelection by lying to millions of Americans.
