THE FIRST DEBATE
The first 2020 presidential debate will be held tomorrow night and moderated by Chris Wallace, a FOX News anchor who has a deserved reputation for being fair...and very tough. He has already announced the six general topics that will shape his questions: the record of the two candidates, COVID-19, election integrity and fraud, race and violence in U.S. cities, economic recovery, and the Supreme Court. I hope that future moderators will include questions on the environment and foreign policy. But we can't get to every major subject in just one debate...and still have any time to go deep.
Here is my own checklist going into tomorrow night's debate, things I want to find out:
What I want to hear from Joe Biden:
1. I want to hear Biden's plans on the economy. We know what Trump wants to do about the economy: lower more taxes, remove regulations on business by gutting the government, reduce environmental regulations in order to relieve pressure on the fossil fuel industry, and save jobs by keeping immigrants out of the country. Agree with him or not, at least everyone knows what Trump is going to do...and in granular terms. We can also immediately assess how his plans will affect us and those we know.
But people can't really tell you what Biden is going to do. He proposes a number of government projects (as does Trump) and gives generalities about helping the middle class. But I can't point to a single thing that will make an actual difference in the lives of people I know. At least Bernie offered free health care and forgiveness of student debt. Those were things you might calculate into your monthly budget. But Biden hasn't gotten granular yet. And he needs to...quick. People still trust Trump a little more than Biden when it comes to the economy. Biden needs to give more than platitudes...and he needs to not get in the weeds about projects the government will offer.
2. I want to hear what Biden plans to do about rioting, looting, and crime. I want to hear him define the real problem and deescalate the sensationalizing of it. I want him to talk about public safety in terms that don't feed the racism underlying suburban perceptions of crime. And I want him to give a compelling description of racism so that "moderates" will be able to see the role it plays in creating violence in the first place.
What I want to hear from Donald Trump:
1. I want to hear what Mr. Trump is going to do about the potential for another 100,000 deaths from the pandemic. His proposal today called for more testing, and that is better than his proposal several weeks ago calling for a halt to testing. He has also ridiculed mask wearing, attacked the idea of quarantining, and asserted that public health is less a compelling emergency than short-term economic status-quo. While testing is probably a good idea, tests in themselves do not curtail the spread of the virus, especially when the president encourages super-spreader events all over the country. Ask educators whether increased testing of students leads to increased intelligence.
2. I want to hear evidence from Mr. Trump to substantiate his claims that election fraud is occurring all over the country. Election fraud is a serious and criminal matter. The essence of Richard Nixon's Watergate escapades had to do with election fraud. And while fraud is a regular feature of American elections, it must not be sensationalized. Reliable elections are at the heart of democracy itself. Ballot box stuffing, illegal voting, voter suppression, voter intimidation, and electronic altering of election counts all undermine our country's deepest values. Even Republican lawyers have said that illegal voting is not widespread or significant in this country. If Mr. Trump believes that millions of ballots are being submitted illegally, he needs to prove it. A "wolf" is indeed a danger to the community. But so is the boy who "cried wolf."
What I don't want to hear from Joe Biden:
I don't want to hear what Joe and Barak did back when they were a couple. The world has changed in four years...a lot! I respect President Obama, but he left many problems unsolved. Biden needs to look to the future and tell us what he will do different. And I certainly don't want to hear what he did while he was a senator. Senators don't do anything: they just vote on stuff. Whatever bill they propose or steer through has to be executed by someone else. Biden needs to focus on today and on the problems we face now.
What I don't want to hear from Donald Trump:
I don't have enough time to list all the things I don't want to hear from Donald Trump. I don't want to hear how he is the GREATEST PRESIDENT EVER, except maybe Lincoln, "but even Lincoln didn't have it as tough as me." I don't want to hear how Joe Biden is taking drugs to enhance his performance at the debate. What drug would that be exactly? Coffee? Mountain Dew? Biden is a man known for sticking his foot in his mouth: so... just what drug would you give him to prevent that? I'd think his "handlers" would want to slow his mouth down...not speed it up. Trump's accusations are ridiculous. And I also don't want Trump talking about "fake news." His whole point in the "Art of the Deal" (his best-selling book) is to create an illusion around you so you can control other people's actions. How can he possibly be appalled at fake news?
What I'm watching for:
Both men are in their seventies. Will one of them break a hip during the debate? That would be interesting to watch. Can they answer the question asked of them? Can they show respect for each other? (That will tell me whether either of them can unite the country after all this.)
