The first of the US Presidential debates in 2024 has ended and it might also have brought an end to Joe Biden’s candidacy.
CNN ran the show like broadcast tyrants so there’s little more to say other than give a big thanks to President Trump’s parole officer and President Biden’s gerontologist for making the event possible. And a big thank you to Big Pharma who, in their own way, made this debate start on time and go the distance.
Trump’s approval rating as President hit a low point of 23 per cent in January 2021 while Joe is rolling along at 36 per cent approval at present. Both men are about as popular as root canal. In keeping with their unpopularity, no audience was present and journalists were angered at having the door closed on them and were left to petition august bodies in an effort to be present. No dice.
The age issue reared throughout the debate and almost always to the detriment of Biden whose performance will only have amplified the concerns about his competence to serve in the White House. Biden stumbled and fumbled. He babbled incoherently and was struck dumb when Trump, called on to reply to his successor, said, “I really don’t know what he said. I don’t think he knew what he was saying either.”
Ouch.
When questions finally were asked of Biden’s age and competence, he reflected on his achievements in his early days in politics which made his present and short term political future seem somehow to diminish further.
The debate ended as it does with quite a lot of old men in argument over their golf handicaps before Trump uttered his usual caveat that he would accept the result of the vote on 5 November only if he deemed it to be fair.
Trump lied. He lied quite a lot so no surprises there. Congratulating himself for his treatment of veterans during his administration was one of the worst of the mistruths. Trump, having made savage cuts to Medicaid during his presidency, left more than 60 per cent of US veterans paying more for their healthcare.
Overall Number 45 was more mentally agile than Number 46 and on the occasions where Trump had his own senior moments, he bailed out with some well rehearsed lines. He managed to wander off into tangents but when he was asked about his lust for revenge, he replied that his retribution would be “success” before getting caught in the weeds and explaining his convictions away by claiming it had been a boon for his fundraising. Even when the overturn of Roe v Wade was raised, where Trump is weak, Biden’s attack was like being belted with a handful of arugula.
Biden was seen several times mouth agape awaiting questions, looking pale and skeletal. His famous stutter reappeared from time to time. He confused trillions with billions and billions with millions. At the eight minute mark, he froze, lost his train of thought, for what his supporters must have thought was a geological age, then began jabbering before Dana Bush put him out of his addled confusion.
Biden might have improved a little after the commercial break but was still spitting out disparate sentence fragments. Trump declared himself the man with the biggest heart on the podium when it came to the environment and bluffed his way through questions on climate change by saying his record on the environment could only be described in superlatives, according to some unknown metric told to him by “my people just before I stepped up here.”
The debate turned to its final quarter with both men raving on how bad the other was. Biden cited a vague number of history scholars who called Trump the worst president in history.
Trump said if he had four more non-consecutive years he would be better – better than Abraham Lincoln, Roosevelts Teddy and Franklin to become the best.
Significantly, betting markets tilted wildly towards Trump as Biden reeled. The 45th POTUS ended the debate shortening from $1.90 to $1.78. Biden blew out to $4.20. It really was that bad for the Democrats. Meanwhile Californian Governor Gavin Newsom came in from 28/1 to 20/1.
Anyone who wondered if the first of the Presidential debates was scheduled so early in the campaign as an opportunity for the DNC to test Biden’s acuity under pressure can stop wondering now. The South Carolinian Chair of the DNC, Jaime Harrison, will be on smelling salts. This was an unmitigated disaster for Biden.
Biden needs to be tapped before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. Barack Obama is probably the only one who can do it. Governor Gavin Newsom might have to step up but then again ‘Californian Democrat’ is a term of derision in the midwest.
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