- The last presidential debate was better than the first, also better than the VP debate, in terms of getting the policy issues across
- Trump learned not to interrupt Biden so much, but not how to speak to anyone outside his base
- The moderator this time did a better job than her predecessors, partly benefitted from the new rule of muting the mics
- Anyone who has not decided before the debate should have by now after the debate
Trump has officially lost his last chance to convince the swing voters. His performance was more civilized or disciplined but almost nothing else, less than his own track records and also below his own expectations. We can clearly see that he was wearing down by the unfavorable polls and also by the new rule of muting the mics. He was not himself when he opened his statement to the very first question with a very weak word of “So…” when he should have begun by “I definitely have done an excellent job!” that would be closer to his usual tone.
What else was against Trump? His famous line of attacking all politicians: not acting, only talking, used to work magically in 2016 but sounded old and boring by now. We all know his performance in fighting the pandemic is his biggest weakness, yet he has bought nothing new to the table other than repeating what he said in the first debate about closing door to China, about not to worry about the virus, or about learning to live with it.
Trump’s Base Becomes His Liability More Than Asset
He has failed to turn his base into asset for growing supporters. The debate last night provided a good stage for us to see how a lousy businessman failed himself, not by lacking the opportunity but by lacking insights and strategies.
What he should have done is to go light on the past but to focus on the next steps in fighting the virus. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that today the number one issue in public psychology is fighting the pandemic.
He had two advantages that were totally wasted by himself. First of all, he is the sitting president who clearly has more rooms —- and higher credibility —- in outlining new actionable policies and plans to turn the country around. Secondly he himself just recovered from the COVID-19, with the first hand experiences that Biden does not have.
Yet look at what he has done last night! He offered no new plan at all and although he claimed he had learned a lot from the virus, we did not see any sign of that, either. He had the same rhetoric all along, before and after being hospitalized.
As a result, we see an old stubborn man who is out of touch with reality, who only cares about his own reelection and only knows one way to achieve it: Getting the country to reopen as soon as possible, and attacking anyone who disagree with him (e.g., Leslie Stahl at the 60 Minutes).
Biden Is Capable of Doing the Job
Despite his age, and despite his occasional stuttering that we observed last night, I think Biden deserves more credits for laying out his own policies, revealing his insights and his strategies for leading the country forward. I know Obama had expressed his concerns about Biden messing things up, I also know the reports against his son, Hunter Biden. Still, based on the visible evidences, I believe Biden is fit for the job. He is confident (revealed by his smiling on the face); he knows how to speak to a bigger audience, including those agree and disagree with him; he has a good understanding of what the problems this nation faces, and has done deep thinking in coming up with strategies to tackle them (including his own version of “Biden Care”, with an added public insurance option); last but not least, he has the courage to speak out against some old sector (e.g., to pull money out of the oil industry) even though doing so could potentially endanger his campaign. In short, I trust Biden more than Harris when it comes to revitalizing the economy, and turning climate change into a new driver of job creation and economic growth.
I Would Be Disappointed To See Trump Win
I think after last night, people should have enough info to determine who should enter the White House. Sure, Trump’s base will continue to support him no matter what; sure there will be voters who are still confused. For the rest of us, it should be loud and clear that Trump should not get another 4 years in the office that should never have opened its door to him four years ago.