Trump attempts to wield conspiracy against Biden, to put him off his debate prep by intimidation, and to explain away his inevitable debate loss.
"Strongly demanding," he says? But conspiracy doesn't end with "proof" or "evidence"--so if Biden takes & passes the drug test, Trump won't stop accusing Biden of cheating somehow. Remember when Obama produced his birth certificate? Did that end Trump's birther quest? Nope.
The Trump-Biden match up will be more contentious than the Trump-Clinton match up because both candidates will likely come out as brawlers. Clinton had to worry about debating as a woman and her "likability," whereas Biden doesn't.
Biden has shown that he's willing to be aggressive when he needs to and I think we'll see him match Trump's aggressiveness. Emotions are very high on both sides. The interest in these debates is extraordinary.
But, voters have already made up their minds, so they won't be watching to learn new information, they'll be watching to cheer and boo and they'll be expecting a spectacle. So the pressure is really on for both Trump and Biden.
These heightened expectations for their performance might push the candidates to be even more aggressive, to play to the audience. However, due to the limited live debate audience, the candidates may have difficulty "playing to the crowd."
Trump, in particular, feeds off of audience reaction. He's like a child who acts out in class. It works well when he performing for his classmates, but it doesn't work so well in the Principal's office.
Trump claims that Biden is going to cheat, but Trump has always cheated at debate. He cheats by violating debate rules. He's aggressive--using ad hominem attacks, ad baculum threats & more. Trump uses the kind of rhetoric that would disqualify a high school or collegiate debater.
Trump is typically over confident in his ability to wing it. He likes to think that his gut instincts are better than the expertise. He likely thinks he knows all he needs to because he's the incumbent.
He likely thinks he gets enough debate practice by answering reporters' questions. That might be true, he isn't a typical debater. He doesn't care if he doesn't have the correct information or a solid argument. He looks at these debates as an opportunity to spin, not educate.
Trump may have some trouble because he is underestimating Biden's abilities. Biden is a solid debater, and can be a brawler if he needs to be--matching Trump's aggression. I imagine Biden will call out Trump's lies and spin.
We will likely hear Biden say, "Come on, man" to Trump, challenging his authority. Trump doesn't handle humiliation well, so Biden may be able to put Trump on tilt. Biden's best strategy is to treat Trump like a ridiculous bully, which will enrage Trump and thrill Biden's fans.
Now, is that good, productive debate that will help the nation to solve problems? No, it definitely is not. But, let's be honest, we're way too far past that at this point.
We're too far gone with partisanship for a real policy debate. Trump doesn't debate, he breaks the rules.
My great hope is that someone--either Biden or a moderator--holds Trump accountable for his words and actions. I want to see someone tell Trump that the way that he mocks, lies, threatens, distracts, etc. are threats to the nation. They are.
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"Whenever any person or institution violates the inherent values of free human exchange among persons, imposing upon anyone a diminution of his nature as a rhetorical animal, he is now shown, in this view, to be wrong—not just inconvenient or unpleasant but wrong..."
"There are genuine values, intersubjectively demonstrable, that judge his wrongness. Those same values will of course sit in judgment on any more of protest against the violation. I am not free to choose whether it is right to silence you because you would silence me:"
"of course it will be wrong to silence you. I may of course be forced to do so in opposing a greater wrong, even knowing that my means are evil, as we had to work at silencing the Nazis once they had set out to use force to silence the rest of us..."
I think about this a lot, from @Comey: "Accomplished people lacking inner strength can’t resist the compromises necessary to survive Mr. Trump and that adds up to something they will never recover from..."
"It takes character like Mr. Mattis’s to avoid the damage, because Mr. Trump eats your soul in small bites. It starts with your sitting silent while he lies, both in public and private, making you complicit by your silence..."
"In meetings with him, his assertions about what “everyone thinks” and what is “obviously true” wash over you, unchallenged, as they did at our private dinner on Jan. 27, 2017, because he’s the president and he rarely stops talking..."
Here's another story of conflict of interest without regulations (and why we now have food safety regulations). Do you like arsenic in your milk? No? But it makes it look so white and fresh and covers up the rotten stink, the business folks said: pbs.org/wgbh/americane…
"Deregulation" sounds innocuous, maybe even good--who likes rules? Regulations are rules (too many rules, they say). But enforced regulations make our world cleaner, safer & prevent businesses from cutting costs (maybe killing us in the process) for profit. Deregulation is a con.
Trump is a dangerous demagogue who wants to become dictator in America. That's been clear since 2015 and undeniable since 2021. You could always tell by the way he used language.
Which is why it's crucial for everyone to defend democracy in America. One way to do that is for Democrats to use the language of national stability (rule of law, patriotism, and freedom): On Defining Democratic America via @resolutesquareresolutesquare.com/articles/2Ydsq…
"In the fantasy of the strongman, politics vanishes and all is clear and bright. In fact, a dreary politics penetrates everything. You can't run a business without the threat of denunciation. You can't get basic services without humiliation. You feel bad about yourself."
"You think about what you say, since it can be used against you later. What you do on the internet is recorded forever, and can land you in prison. Public space closes down around you. You cannot escape to the bar or the bowling alley, since everything you say is monitored."
"The person on the next stool or in the next lane might not turn you in, but you have to assume they will. If you have a t-shirt or a bumper sticker with a message, someone will report you. Even if you just repeat the dictator's words, someone can lie about you and denounce you."