Should Biden “Debate” Trump?
There are no persuadable voters. There will be no meaningful unpacking of issues. There will only be Trump putting on his Trump show for his fans. What does Biden get out of being prop in the Trump show? How do you even debate someone makes up “facts” on the spur of the moment? I say Biden should pass on taking part in this sham.
Jonathan Russo writing at TPM thinks Trump has set up a losing dynamic for himself.
However, one thing is certain. Trump has painted himself into a deep corner when it comes to the public’s expectations about Biden’s performance.
His mocking descriptions of Biden started months ago with relentless “sleepy Joe” tweets. Then they devolved to, “I honestly don’t think he knows what office he is running for.” Finally, Trump gave some vague warnings that Biden was going to be put in a “home while super left radical crazies run the country.” Trump’s key spokespeople regularly attack Biden’s mental acuity.
Not with the usual suspects as moderators.
That said, a debate without a live audience would probably throw Trump seriously off his game. That, and real-time fact-checking. Biden should not give Trump a platform for his lies, lies which would then become the frame for the debate and the most memorable sound bites.
Also depends on a realistic analysis of polling at the time. Carter was polling ahead of Reagan at the time of the 1980 debates.
Good point about the live audience. But you would still have moderators creating false equivalencies between Biden’s statements and Trumps lies.
I just don’t see any upside for Joe.
Moderators who work for cable TV have a vested interest in the appearance of a horse race and creating false equivalencies. Also they are rich and on the side of the plutocrats.