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Atlanta debate debacle | WORLD

Theo

Last night, Americans sat down to watch the first debate of 2024 between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, knowing that presidential debates can change history. The 1960 debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy changed history when Kennedy and Nixon actually bonded over the issues, but Kennedy looked young and Nixon was sweating profusely under the television lights. In 1976, President Gerald Ford debated with Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and declared that there was “no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.” He never recovered from the fallout. Last night’s debate in Atlanta will go down in history for one reason only: President Joe Biden turned the debate into a disaster, a debacle, and indeed a collapse.

Former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan called the event “the most important presidential debate ever.” Without mincing words, she wrote: “It was actually as important as any presidential debate in history, and the worst night in history for an incumbent president.” In any case, it was an understatement.

Headlines ranged from “Biden Stumbles” to “A Bumbling Performance and a Panicked Party” The New York Times to “Democrats are panicking” to The Washington Post and “Biden Crashes” at The Wall Street JournalOn major news channels, CNN’s John King candidly declared that President Biden had all but derailed his re-election campaign. A panel of commentators agreed. On MSNBC, the anchors did their best to convey the official Democratic Party line, but their faces said it all. On Fox News, the president’s performance during the debate was described as a “disaster.” And it was.

On a human level, the spectacle was simply profoundly sad. Joe Biden demanded this moment, but it was a faceplant from which it is hard to imagine a recovery. The Democratic Party let this happen, and now it may reap the rewards.

Presidential debates have become part of the media age, and in a digital world, that means one mistake can quickly become an international meme. Biden’s performance last night provided an endless supply of facial expressions, garbled speech, broken sentences and slurred words. Oddly, the optics were even worse than the audio stream. It was a human tragedy that will remain as a political parable. The politicians and policymakers who assured us of Biden’s fundamental competence have been exposed as liars. This is clearly an elderly man who has no place in the Oval Office.

The Democratic Party is clearly in disarray in the aftermath of the event.

The Democratic Party is clearly in disarray in the aftermath of the event. Party members have recognized for weeks that they needed an early test of Biden’s abilities and readiness for the campaign. They got it. But what will Democrats do now? Party rules make it impractical, if not impossible, to deny Biden the nomination at this point. If he is convinced to drop out of the race, the party will have to debate and fight over how to replace him. If Vice President Kamala Harris is chosen as the nominee, Democrats expect to lose. But if she is passed over, the party would insult and sideline a vice president who could legitimately claim a right to the nomination and stand as the first Black woman to be a major party nominee. Denying her that role would expose Democrats as liars and show-offs about inclusion and representation. They are constantly fighting for identity politics and clearly run the risk of being seen as major league hypocrites.

During the debate, Donald Trump was largely his usual self. He was more restrained than in some previous debates and scored important points against Biden on inflation, uncontrolled illegal immigration, and America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden directly opposed Trump on questions of character, and Trump threw the question of character back at Biden. CNN moderators controlled the event, and the new rules eliminated some of the problems encountered in previous debates. The debate as a whole, however, revealed the hardening of American politics, including in language, especially on Biden’s part.

Both candidates failed on the issue of abortion, but they did not fail in the same way. Biden was partly inconsistent and partly dishonest. When Trump accused him of supporting late-term abortions, Biden denied the accusation and bragged about legislating. Roe v. Wade. The most dishonest thing was when Biden ran away without saying he would not sign a bill supported by congressional Democrats that would effectively allow late-term abortions (perhaps up to birth). He would surely sign such a bill, and he knows full well that all the talk about legislation Roe deeras horrible as it is, is blatantly dishonest.

For his part, Trump wavered on abortion, once again insisting the issue should be left to the states and saying Republicans should simply get elected. He cited President Ronald Reagan in asserting “exceptions” that would allow abortion in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. It was a disappointing performance, but Trump takes credit for reversing the trend. Roe v. Wade and would reject legislation that Biden would sign. There is still a long way to go between Trump and Biden on the abortion issue, but pro-lifers clearly have a huge challenge ahead.

Last night’s debate was history-making, and the coming days will be dominated by headlines and debates, much of it about the future of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. Biden’s crash will have seismic repercussions. But don’t forget that the Supreme Court is likely to make some momentous decisions today. No matter how you look at it, this week will be unforgettable.

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