Recap on the First Presidential Debate
I cannot recall the last time I saw a less coherent political debate
While watching the first Presidential debate last night, I reflected on the sage wisdom imparted by one Sally Claire on effective journalism:
If someone says it's raining, and another person says it's dry, it's not your job to quote them both. Your job is to look out the f*cking window and find out which is true.
It appears neither Jake Tapper nor Dana Bash got that memo. I watched the absolutely disgraceful spectacle of CNN moderators who refused to fact check Trump (or Biden) on anything, refused to separate fact from fiction, and refused to take a stand that truth matters. Their inactions amount to journalistic malpractice, and such journalistic apathy is truly decimating our democracy. And it wasn’t just that they failed to fact check the candidates—their own questions were infused with flat out lies.
For example, despite knowing there's no such thing as "post birth abortion," Dana Bash asked a question insinuating there is. Likewise, despite knowing Netanyahu himself is rejecting the UN ceasefire resolution, she blamed Hamas. Jake Tapper wasn’t any better. Despite previously and personally confirming that Donald Trump said Nazis are “very fine people,” he allowed Trump to lie repeatedly to his face that he said no such thing. Likewise, despite Tapper previously and personally confirming that Trump disparaged soldiers who died in combat as “suckers and losers,” he again allowed Trump to lie repeatedly that he said no such thing.
Democracy apparently dies on primetime television.
Donald Trump continued his assault on truth. Regarding migrants, his demonization of immigrants as “criminals” was appalling and devoid of facts. Immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, have lower crime rates than US citizens. There aren’t “criminals” pouring in and there’s no evidence of it. Him placing the blame for drug trafficking on immigrants is also contrary to reality. In fact, 86.3% of drug trafficking is by US Citizens, only .02% of people Border Patrol arrested for crossing illegally possessed any fentanyl at all, and annual deaths from fentanyl doubled from 2019 to 2021 after US Government banned asylum. In other words, his own terrible border policies excacerbated the fentanyl crisis.
But Trump’s xenophobia and lack of personal responsibility didn’t stop there. He took particular effort to transform Palestinian into a slur, calling Biden a “Palestinian, a bad Palestinian.” This was an apt summary of the dehumanizing discussion around Israel and Gaza. As mentioned earlier, Bash used a lie to bash Hamas for allegedly rejecting the ceasefire resolution, when in truth it is Netanyahu rejecting the binding UN Security Council ceasefire resolution. To my surprise Bash remarkably mentioned that thousands of Palestians have been killed and there is famine in Gaza, but as I predicted, there was no mention of Israel’s war crimes, secret torture camps, ICC, ICJ, and UN charges of extermination, stopping aid to Gaza, or Israel’s own admitted plans to annex the West Bank.
On climate, Donald Trump refused to acknowledge the reality of climate change, and instead lied that his administration cares about the environment. In reality, his administration saw a decimation of the EPA, a repeal of hundreds of environmental regulations, a withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords, and a removal of efforts to limit reliance on fossil fuels.
On democracy itself, Trump was asked three times to affirm, yes or no, that he will accept the result of the election, win or lose. Each time Trump refused to answer Yes. And true to form, the CNN moderators ultimately refused to call out his non-answer, instead simply moving on to the next question. The same was true when Trump repeated the debunked claims of “partial birth abortion” and “post birth abortion.” Tapper and Bash simply moved on as if Trump commented on the weather, when in reality his dangerous rhetoric has enabled the repeal of reproductive rights, and led to a deadly spike in maternal and infant mortality in states like Texas.
President Biden didn’t do himself any favors by claiming Border Patrol endorsed him (they didn’t), or by claiming no servicemembers died during his presidency (13 have), or by trailing off repeatedly in the middle of making a point.
One of the most frustrating moments for me was the debate over their golf handicap. Wealth and income inequality is at historic highs, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, housing, healthcare, and childcare is unaffordable, American tax dollars are funding a literal genocide, and the two men campaigning for the most powerful government office on Earth used their time on stage to argue—in all seriousness—about their golf handicap. This is not how you win voters, activate disaffected voters, or show you are in touch with the hurt countless Americans experience on the daily.
A second Presidential debate is scheduled for September, but politicians like South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham are already suggesting that Trump cancel. It might make for good strategy, they argue, for Trump to let this debate be the last lingering memory in the minds of voters. That said, media outlets are now starting to call out Trump for his grotesque lies and that could backfire for him. Likewise, several in media including New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof are calling for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 election and allow the Democratic Party to nominate a new duo for the November election.
Time will tell what develops.
For now, one thing is for sure. We’re facing the real threat of falling into fascism, and far from even having the journalistic responsibility to “look outside the f*cking window,” we suffer debate moderators hurtling our democracy down that bottomless pit. In last night’s debate, between breathtakingly incompetent moderators, a perennially lying Donald Trump who refuses to say he’ll accept the results if he loses, and a President Biden unable to articulate his point in any effective sort of way—there were no winners, only losers.
Namely, the American people and the hopes of a functioning democracy.
Last night's debate was only one debate. I do think President Biden's time could be better spent touring the country and having individual town halls, especially in the swing states.
CNN completely dropped the ball on moderating the debate; I mean, a first year journalism major could read questions without fact-checking either candidate.
Our democracy is in peril. My hope is that Americans in general vote their conscience and not get caught up in the lies and drama surrounding the election.
Last night's debate was an example of what's wrong with news outlets today! We have become addicted to sensationalism on TV and in politics. President Biden answered the questions but all people will notice is that he sounded tired and not forceful like he did at the State of the Union. I am very disappointed wit moderators who did NOT even mention Project 2025, the Trump tax cuts that cost all workers more money in taxes, unaffordable child care, rent, and transportation! Where were the fact checkers!!!!! 🤔