Click. Read. Love. 6.28.24
The debate take no one asked for...plus lots of great links from the week.
Last night was the first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump (also presumptive Republican nominee). I assume by now if you follow the news, you’ve heard that it didn’t go well, for Biden. I did not watch the debate (I have a 4 year old, 9pm is past my bedtime). I assume there will be more, either way, I don’t need to put myself through watching 90 minutes of Donald Trump spew lies and incoherent ramblings.
What concerns me though, is the overwhelming response to the debate last night is that Biden was weak, and Trump “won.” My inbox was full of headlines from all the major newspapers saying as much. It was a welcome reprieve to read
’s newsletter this morning, spelling out what actually happened last night.Biden began with a weak start but hit his stride as the evening wore on. Indeed, he covered his bases too thoroughly, listing the many accomplishments of his administration in such a hurry that he was sometimes hard to understand.
In contrast, Trump came out strong but faded and became less coherent over time. His entire performance was either lies or rambling non-sequiturs. He lied so incessantly throughout the evening that it took CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale almost three minutes, speaking quickly, to get through the list.
I encourage you to read the entire newsletter which also describes how Trump used a technique called Gish gallop, to make it virtually impossible to respond or fact-check his endless lies, deception, and non-sequiturs.
I genuinely don’t know how we can compare Biden and Trump at this point, other than to point out that one of them (Biden) believes in and supports democracy, and the other does not. Trump also bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade, defended tax cuts for billionaires, defended January 6th, is liable for sexual assault and business fraud, and was convicted of 34 felonies. But apparently that’s not enough for most, especially the media, as Richardson points out.
Of far more lasting importance than this one night is the clear evidence that stage performance has trumped substance in political coverage in our era. Nine years after Trump launched his first campaign, the media continues to let him call the shots.
It’s terrifying to me that another Trump presidency is a possibility, but here we are. Biden is old (81), but so is Trump (78). One is working to make childcare more affordable, address climate change, protect bodily autonomy, rebuild infrastructure, enact gun safety legislation, and lower the cost of healthcare. The other has repeatedly promised to be a dictator on “day one,” and if elected, warned of a “bloodbath.”
Regardless of what comes out of the debates over the next few months, I hope when people head to the polls in November, they don’t lose sight of that.
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In this week’s Click. Read. Love.
What if we didn’t need to make the most of summer?
How the culture war comes for boy moms
A yummy one pan pasta recipe
What three conservative Tennessee moms found when they became advocates for gun control.
A DIY mudroom makeover
Adding color to my summer wardrobe
And much more…
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