September 30, 2020

Rage

Bob Woodward’s latest book about Donald Trump as President gives some examples of his angry  outbursts, one occasion described as “ranting and raving” by one on the scene.  The book’s title, Rage, perfectly describes Trump’s out-of-control behavior at the first debate.  If there had been any doubt that the prospect of losing the election terrifies him, it evaporated during that performance.

Commentary on the debate has been uniformly negative about Trump, but oddly varied regarding Biden.  My first impression was that he should have been less combative, interrupted less often and displayed more dignity but, on reflection, realized that was to some degree unrealistic.  Trump had asserted that Biden was, in effect, senile (an exercise in projection?), calling him “Sleepy Joe.”  Biden needed to crush that claim, and did.  Some of the commentators missed that point; at the other extreme, one somehow found that Biden had been too passive.

There had been suggestions, by Biden among others, that the debate be fact-checked in real time.  Given Trump’s continued lying, that would be a good idea.  Setting the record straight the day after, or even the hour after, has less impact.  For most voters, immediate impressions are all, and allowing Trump to get away with lies lends him undeserved aid.  Biden and the moderator could do only so much in that line, given the restraints of time and format and Trump’s continuous interruptions.

There is a tendency to treat the debates as contests, declaring winners and losers rather than analyzing arguments or testing knowledge.  This reflects and reenforces the public reaction which relies on general impressions.  Applying that superficial test, commentators — and, allegedly, voters — gave Biden only a slight edge; however, that, apparently was considered enough of a win for him, as he leads in the polls.  It doesn’t seem likely that Trump persuaded any undecided voters to move his way, which may be the point that the horse-race analysis intends to make.

The most troublesome aspect of Trump’s bluster, on and off the debate stage, is the threat, implied by his panic, but also expressed, that there will be interference in the election and refusal to accept an adverse result. Telling the Proud Boys to “stand by” was an unsubtle hint.  

We have reached one of the low points in this nation’s history, and it’s by no means clear that the path  leads upward from here.