Tonight was a masterclass in debate from Kamala Harris. She laid bait that Donald Trump took, repeatedly and eagerly. She stayed on topic, answered the questions substantively and clearly, and was eminently quotable all night, plus she was charming and smiled repeatedly.
She was poised, confident, intelligent, professional...everything we could hope for in a President and more.
But tonight was a big deal because of more than just the Vice President’s jaw-dropping performance.
It was a big deal starting very early on, when Linsey Davis said the magic words:
“Nowhere in America is it legal to kill a newborn baby”.
A fact check, during the debate. After that, the energy in the room shifted. Trump would, for the first time in years, not be given free rein to lie without pause or challenge before a national audience. It allowed Harris to pounce on the lie, to point out more would come, and to draw a distinction from him with her own honesty.
The trend continued throughout the debate, and it augmented Harris’ reality-based debate performance beautifully. Trump, already clearly tense, lost his temper and never recovered it. By the first commercial break he had ranted about everything from eating cats to every country on the planet having sent their criminals to us. It was clear from Harris’ energy and reactions all night that this couldn’t have gone more according to plan. A prosecutor, making her case, based on the facts: she was in her element and Trump was clearly crumbling and fuming.
That was possible because, time and again, Muir and Davis interjected to state the objective facts. Muir even came back to challenge Trump’s words conceding defeat in 2020 that he was being sarcastic, pointing out the tone did not sound sarcastic but sincere.
Reality is important, and during debate the moderators have the normally uncontroversial and simple job of keeping the conversation based in reality. A debate without facts is a shouting contest, and true journalists know this. A good moderator shouldn’t seem like they’re on your side, or a candidate’s side, or their own side. They shouldn’t seem impartial because they’re disinterested; they should seem impartial because the facts and rules are all they care about INSTEAD of the people involved.
Tonight was an example of why we need that: without that basic stability, Harris could not have shined like she did. Her arguments only land when you know the truth; WE know it, sure, but the average uninformed voter does not. A journalist does not assume the audience knows the truth already, they create an environment where the truth can be revealed and lies will be exposed. A good debate makes it possible for We, the People, to learn the truth and see it for our own eyes. It is a massive responsibility.
Tonight, David Muir and Linsey Davis met the moment. As someone who has criticized, loudly and repeatedly, the media for failing to meet the moment I feel it’s important to acknowledge when they do meet it. Tonight’s debate was more than a great experience to watch, it was a victory for the health of our society.
