Opinion: 2020 first debate was an out-of-control, hot mess
Readers who are “Never Trumpers,” might not enjoy this week’s thick slice of Gravy.
Tuesday night, the first Presidential Debate took place on nationwide television. Network and news channels preempted regular programming to show the 90-minute word-fest. The job of the moderator, ably mishandled by supposed news titan Chris Wallace, lost control of the discussion almost from the start.
Both candidates were guilty of defending themselves by talking over their challenger when he made an egregious statement about the other. Wallace needed an air horn to blow when his ineffectual grumbling failed to silence either of the debaters.
At the top of the 90-minute verbal slugfest, President Trump tried to wait his turn but Biden kept exceeding his two-minute time limit and Wallace did a meager job of stopping him.
When the former Veep began making highly offensive and untrue claims about the Trump Administration, its staff and his family, Trump stepped in and refuted Biden’s accusations.
My President viciously turned the tables on his opponent when the former vice president stated that Trump wasn’t smart enough to be POTUS. At that point, Trump’s voice changed as he rebutted this vile attack.
He forcefully told his opponent to quit talking to him about “not being smart.” He pointed to Biden’s false statements that he had been at the top of his class at the “Historically Black,” Delaware State University.
Carlos Holmes, director of news service for Delaware State, said Biden was never a student. He twice appeared on campus to deliver commencement addresses in 2003 and 20016. He received only an honorary degree, but never attended its classes.
Further, Biden claimed he graduated at the top of his class on a full scholarship. He graduated 76th out of 85 students in his law school class and had but partial funding, according to the Washington Post and others.
Ill-mannered Sleepy Joe told the president more than three times to “shut-up,” and twice or more called him a clown.
I am not naïve to the fact that there has been truth-stretching and some fabrications from both camps of the 2020 candidates.
When former Vice President Biden puts forth his countless falsehoods, too many of the Mainstream Media barely take notice. The attitude would seem to be “Oh we know it’s just good Ol’ Joe, he got mixed up a little, forgot small details or made an honest mistake.”
When President Trump gets caught stretching the truth and presents mistaken information, the MSM proclaims he is a vicious, willful, lying demon.
Too many of my brother and sister journalists have forgotten that we are supposed to be non-bias and non-partisan when reporting the news. The exception is an Opinion editorial column appearing under their by-line. Instead of reporting the news impartially, they allow their own brand of editorializing to overshadow their reporting.
All in all, neither candidate was wearing their Sunday School manners. In my opinion Biden even less so than Trump. The President approached the no-holds-barred-level and the former vice president even more so.
Trump challenged Biden to defend his son, Hunter, over the $3.5 million job in the Ukraine in an industry where he had little knowledge and no experience.
When Biden attempted to draw the president’s family into the fray, POTUS pointed out that he and his children have lost fortunes as they help him serve the United States of America, a country, they all love.
Trump ably stated that Biden has been in government service some 47 years and the problems should have been fixed while in Congress or surely throughout his eight years as vice president. Biden promises he can fix all the country’s problems. He promises he has the solutions if he were just allowed to sit in the big boy chair. Isn’t it his turn yet? The party promised it is. (That by the way, is again editorialized satire.)
Any time our President slips into this type of mocking, such as the intravenous disinfectant to kill the Coronavirus, he is crucified by adversaries in the press who know it was facetious sarcasm but enjoy treating it as if genuine medical treatment from Trump’s team of scientist. Everybody knows the subcutaneous injection of black licorice is used to combat viruses or is that the treatment for a hangover. Just so you know, that was also factious mocking. Neither politically correct nor Sunday School behavior, but I tend not to display either.
Are we to believe that outrage should only be expressed in a small polite display or not at all? That is foolish.
The hyperbolas reporting of “every,” word either of the candidates says is ridiculous. Where to draw the line is hard to do. But, being a journalist is hard. It is the hard that makes it worth doing; if it wasn’t hard, everybody would do it, to paraphrase a Tom Hanks baseball-movie.
Pop culture is having a field day with the cockamamie shenanigans of the 2020 election. Cockamamie is from a Clint Eastwood film.
I believe both parties’ cockamamie shenanigans must back off. The fun times are long over. Quit trying to capitalize on each other’s foibles and tell us how you intend to fix and serve all Americans. That is what the POTUS must do.
It all makes me pine for the accurate accounting of the legitimate ballots and a peaceful transition of power so our country can heal.
Also, dear readers remember, opinions are like ears, everybody has at least a couple. These are mine. • • •
Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing tamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
