by The Editorial Board / The Philadelphia Inquirer / June 29, 2024
President Joe Biden’s debate performance was a disaster. His disjointed responses and dazed look sparked calls for him to drop out of the presidential race.
But lost in the hand wringing was Donald Trump’s usual bombastic litany of lies, hyperbole, bigotry, ignorance, and fear mongering. His performance demonstrated once again that he is a danger to democracy and unfit for office.
In fact, the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump.
Trump, 78, has been on the political stage for eight years marked by chaos, corruption, and incivility. Why go back to that?
To build himself up, Trump constantly tears the country down. There is no shining city on the hill. It’s just mourning in America.
Throughout the debate, Trump repeatedly said we are a “failing” country. He called the United States a “third world nation.” He said, “we’re living in hell” and “very close to World War III.”
“People are dying all over the place,” Trump said, later adding “we’re literally an uncivilized country now.”
Trump told more than 30 lies during the debate to go with the more than 30,000 mistruths told during his four years as president. He dodged the CNN moderators’ questions, took no responsibility for his actions, and blamed others, mainly Biden, for everything that is wrong in the world.
Trump’s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection he fueled was farcical. He said a “relatively small number of people” went to the Capitol and many were “ushered in by the police.”
After scheming to overturn the 2020 election, Trump refused to say if he would accept the results of the 2024 election. Unless, of course, he wins.
The debate served as a reminder of what another four years of Trump would look like. More lies, grievance, narcissism, and hate. Supporters say they like Trump because he says whatever he thinks. But he mainly spews raw sewage.
Trump attacks the military. He denigrates the Justice Department and judges. He belittles the FBI and the CIA. He picks fights with allies and cozies up to dictators.
Trump is an unserious carnival barker running for the most serious job in the world. During his last term, Trump served himself and not the American people.
Trump spent chunks of time watching TV, tweeting, and hanging out at his country clubs. Over his four-year term, Trump played roughly 261 rounds of golf.
As president, Trump didn’t read the daily intelligence briefs. He continued to use his personal cell phone, allowing Chinese spies to listen to his calls. During one Oval Office meeting, Trump shared highly classified intelligence with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador.
Trump’s term did plenty of damage and had few accomplishments. The much-hyped wall didn’t get built. Infrastructure week was a recurring joke. Giant tax cuts made the rich richer, while fueling massive deficits for others to pay for years. His support for coal, oil drilling, and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement worsened the growing impact of climate change.
Trump stacked the judiciary with extreme judges consisting mainly of white males, including a number who the American Bar Association rated as not qualified. A record number of cabinet officials were fired or left the office. The West Wing was in constant chaos and infighting.
Many Trump appointees exited under a cloud of corruption, grifting, and ethical scandals. Trump’s children made millions off the White House. His dilettante son-in-law got $2 billion from the Saudi government for his fledgling investment firm even though he never managed money before.
Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic resulted in tens of thousands of needless deaths. He boasts about stacking the Supreme Court with extreme right-wingers who are stripping away individual rights, upending legal precedents, and making the country less safe. If elected, Trump may add to the court’s conservative majority.
Of course, there were the unprecedented two impeachments. Now, Trump is a convicted felon who is staring at three more criminal indictments. He is running for president to stay out of prison.
If anything, Trump doesn’t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage. Why even give him a platform?
Trump allegedly stole classified information and tried to overturn an election. His plans for a second term are worse than the last one. We cannot be serious about letting such a crooked clown back in the White House.
If anything, Trump doesn’t deserve to be on the presidential debate stage. Why even give him a platform?
Yes, Biden had a horrible night. He’s 81 and not as sharp as he used to be. But Biden on his worst day remains lightyears better than Trump on his best.
Biden must show that he is up to the job. This much is clear: He has a substantive record of real accomplishments, fighting the pandemic, combating climate change, investing in infrastructure, and supporting working families and the most vulnerable.
Biden has surrounded himself with experienced people who take public service seriously. He has passed major bipartisan legislation despite a dysfunctional Republican House majority.
Biden believes in the best of America. He has rebuilt relationships with allies around the world and stood up to foes like Russia and China.
There was only one person at the debate who does not deserve to be running for president. The sooner Trump exits the stage, the better off the country will be.
Great argument. Just won’t happen for all the talk and logic. Never does with dictators. Biden’s playing the company soldier. Doing it by the book. And everyone hopes that will suffice. I have my doubts this time after that debate. Meanwhile we “hope” for the best. But the ship is taking on water.
And this is for Biden:
Biden Loyalists Vs. Our Own Eyes
By whistling past the graveyard of Biden’s viability, the pretenders are doing a huge disservice to the country.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/biden-loyalists-dont-believe-your-own-eyes-and-ears/
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sealintheSelkirks
So you want the candidate for president to drop out now that it looks like he’s going to win the election just because you don’t like him. Got it.
Trump’s performance (not to be confused with participation) in the debate was the true disaster; one question after another, ignored, and his response completely off topic. The only time the rhythm was broken, when he did not immediately change the subject, but hesitated…was jarring. Was he willing to state that he would accept the results of the election? Well? It’s a yes or no question. Sir? We covered this in Kindergarten. A candidate (or voter) who will not agree to abide by the results of an election is not allowed to participate!
Tell me something I don’t know about Trump cause am still suffering from PTSD Trumpism!!!!!
Here’s one for you adrienne:
Seize the Crown, King Biden! (Then Arrest Trump and Stack the Court)
One of his Majesty’s first so-called “official acts” should be to issue an arrest warrant for his insurrectionist predecessor, Donald Trump, for trying to overthrow the U.S. government and the Constitution. After that, pack the court with sane justices to restore law and order in the land.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/king-joe-biden
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I would add that he should arrest the insurrectionist SCOTUS judges immediately since the are acting in blatantly un-Constitutional ways. And any politician that supported this coup.
Will it start some shit? NO, because realize that this has already been started by the Fascist MAGATS. There are Republicans that aren’t going along with it but they are targets, too. These are FASCISTS, folks, that have publicly stated what they are going to do.
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I’ve been in martial arts for 42 years, and have taught self defense for about 35 of those years (mostly at no cost) in both large and small group classes, and mainly individual lessons for adults and kids the last 20 years up here. I’ve hosted weekly women’s rape self-defense classes since the late 80s trying to teach women that they are always dealing with an immediate physical disadvantage (weight/strength etc) when facing a vicious male opponent. Don’t be nice, don’t be polite, don’t stand there looking stupid because you are scared to shit; break their knee, gouge out an eye, become the killer primate that lies underneath all of the ‘civilized’ trappings that have been layered over because those taught behaviors of hesitation will get you raped or killed.
NEVER take a squirt gun to a knife fight. I’ve been in many ‘altercations,’ both by the random chance of turning a corner into a situation or by choosing to get involved in something desperate that was starting to happen to somebody who was unable to protect themselves that I saw coming. I’ve been kicked, punched, stabbed with a screwdriver, sliced with a knife, had my bell rang because you (and our country) will NOT avoid being hurt. Reality just doesn’t work like the hogwash in the movies.
I worked as a troubleshooter concert security rover in crowds of 8,000+ people at 3-day outdoor concerts for years in the late 90s to mid-2000s. One thing I learned in all these years is that you CANNOT WAIT giving the attacker time to work themselves up and get set. The Democrats have been doing that for 4 years now because they are trying to be civilized. The attackers are NOT civilized and the Dems need to immediately figure this out. The Fascists are definitely, obviously, working themselves up to a full-blown rape of our country.
We have Fascists filling the ranks of cops, clergy, political offices, judgeships, corporate boardrooms. Funded by extremely wealthy conservative Fascists just like what happened during 1930s in Germany, AND in the USA that ALSO tried a coup in 1934. The mistake FDR made was NOT HANGING the rich industrialist like Henry Ford and Wall St. bankers like Prescott Bush who were funding and controlling the marching US Nazis in the streets of the US.
Now we have the same problem but with random armed blackshirt MAGA bandits just itching to start shooting people they don’t like in towns all across the US. Anybody else know enough history to see the similarities here?
Can the calcified wealthy leaders that operate the Democratic Party stop this? Do they have the fortitude and intelligence to see what is about to/and is happening? I’m feeling rather doubtful to be honest. I truly hope I’m wrong.
Here is the end result of the Reagan ‘revolution.’
Either way we are in for a very rough ride.
sealintheSelkirks
Details on how bad ALL the MSM is skewing for Trump:
Yellow Journalism Exposed: The Unfair Targeting of Biden’s Flaws vs Trump’s Crimes!
So, to answer the question about why Trump is polling better than Biden regardless of the realities in the fact-based world: “It’s the media, stupid.”
https://hartmannreport.com/p/yellow-journalism-exposed-the-unfair-3d9?publication_id=302288&post_id=146360968&isFreemail=true&r=218fss&triedRedirect=true
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Thom Hartmann just nails the corporate media that is acting very similar to the 6 SCOTUS. Corporations WANT Fascism so they can rule I guess, eh?
sealintheSelkirks