The commander in chief is up to his old tricks again, goading his opponent to react in an unbecoming way. No, not by touting the latest celebrity endorsement by Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten – although that has raised a few bushy brows. President Donald Trump is poking away at former Vice President Joe Biden to get a rise in the manner of two kids in the back of the station wagon on a long road trip. And Trump is using the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates by pressuring a reinstatement of the Oct. 15 debate it summarily canceled.
Biden appears to want to run his campaign digitally from studios while the president is pushing for an in-person and on-stage debate. Will Mr. President successfully lure the challenger out of the Delaware dell by antagonizing him, or will Biden avoid another disastrous brawling match and stay below ground until the third day of November?
White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern attached the worm to the hook for the big-box media over the weekend, stating, “It would be nice if the commission would get the debate back on the schedule. I think the president is ready to go. He wants to be on stage debating Joe Biden in person.”
The Chance to Avoid Trump
Just days ago, the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates first virtualized, then canceled, the second of the series, citing the health and welfare of those involved. Namely, Trump had tested positive and was hospitalized for COVID-19, and speculation at the time — a very brief time — was he might be down for the count. But, rallying against a cough and fever, Trump was back at the White House after 72 hours, tweeting he felt “great, better than I have in a long time.”
Trump’s allies were quick to condemn the commission as shilling for the protection of Biden, although the vice president didn’t seem to care one way or the other. But Democrats and anti-Trumpers appear to want no additional chances for their candidate to deliver gobbledygook instead of well-phrased and executed factual answers in a live duel.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), in between gorging on premium ice cream and getting her hair done, made her case for Biden not debating the president at all. Pelosi opined early on, “I wouldn’t legitimize a conversation with him nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States.”
To Debate or Not to Debate
After the disastrous first presidential showdown, both Biden and Trump need a do-over: with a new moderator that, well, moderates without such obvious bias and with two candidates who will follow the rules — and that means no earwigs, no notebook of answers to read, and questions, much like awards shows, under wraps until showtime. Is Price Waterhouse still around and trustworthy? Heck, maybe the candidates both sign a civility pledge – whatever gets their words to the ears of the people.
But it is evident that Trump does not want a virtual debate and is pulling out the stops to force Biden’s hand.
Liberty Nation’s editor in chief Leesa K. Donner wants Trump to reconsider and get with the program, saying:
“I’d like him to change his mind. Anytime there is an opportunity to see both Biden and Trump at the same time is good for the president. Formatting doesn’t matter. I’m concerned that voters aren’t paying enough attention to the policies and platforms of these two candidates and are getting caught up in a personality contest. I think the president needs one more bite at the apple to make his case before the American people before Election Day. So I say — do the debate, Mr. President.”
At this point, are there any voters in America who have yet to decide? Would another debate do any harm or any good to the two contenders? Maybe it would be better to have another Pence/Harris go- around and leave the schoolyard toughies to battle it out behind the bleachers and out of the nation’s view, with the winner emerging on the fourth of November. But let’s see if Trump can poke brother Biden enough to get the man out of the basement one more time.
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