Immediately following the first presidential debate my impression was that former vice president Joe Biden came out on top, just by dint of low expectations for his performance. But after seeing the way Democrats and liberals in the media have reacted, I suspect they’re not quite as confident.
It looks like they might actually believe that Biden’s passable showing was a fluke. They’re less than sure he can do it again.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, which sponsors the events, announced Wednesday it was considering changes to the format of the future debates “to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.” It was an apparent reaction to the constant interrupting that took place during the first debate (about three-quarters of which could have been eliminated by cutting Chris Wallace’s mic).
New York Times liberal columnist Frank Bruni wrote Thursday that no format changes were necessary, and that further debates between the two candidates should be canceled quicker than a Hollywood celebrity donating to a Christian church.
“Let Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris have their matchup next Wednesday night, then let Americans move on,” he said. “They have all the information they need to decide whether they want another four years of Trump. Giving him more time in front of a national television audience isn’t a route to clarity. It’s an expressway to autocracy, because his performance on Tuesday night proved that he will use these showcases to subvert democracy.”
Those are accusations with no meaning — just Bruni wildly waving his arms in a panic. If Trump is really so obviously a threat to democracy, shouldn’t Bruni want that exposed for everyone to see for themselves?
Besides, was Biden’s message not compelling enough? He’s the candidate they chose and even he has done virtually no public campaigning since the conventions. Democrats are trying to hide him even more by zeroing out the debates, which undoubtedly offer the largest platform for both candidates.
How hopeless do Biden’s own supporters believe he is against Trump?
After the debate Tuesday I thought Biden’s backers might say something like, “See? He beat Trump and took all air out of the Right’s attacks on his mental acuity by besting the president and holding his own for the entire event.”
But I haven’t seen anyone say that. I’ve only seen what looks to be yet further attempts to lower the expectations for Biden in the next two debates, and hide any possibility of a poor performance by making a bunch of noise about how dangerous it would be to give Trump another opportunity to speak on TV again.
Thomas Friedman, another gem at the New York Times, said on CNN that with further debates, the commission is “complicit in giving a platform for this president to pollute this election.”
MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski said the debate “just gave the president another platform to spew out disinformation.”
So, why isn’t anyone out there raving about Biden’s performance? This would be like shooting a three-pointer, only to have your own teammates plead with the coach to bench you before your luck runs out.
The simplest explanation is that Biden’s supporters don’t think he can do it again.
