It looks as if it will happen tonight: the big Presidential debate, Mr. Trump vs. Mr. Biden. Polls say sixty percent of us will tune in.
Both men claim to be raring to go. My expectations are low; one man is 78 and the other is 81. One struggles with a lifelong stammer and the other tends to ramble. Having their microphones muted while the other candidate is speaking is widely pointed out as likely to frustrate Donald Trump more than Joe Biden but they're both used to people having to listen whenever they speak.
The debate still might not happen. If it does, it could be a huge mess. One candidate might come off as more alert and focused than the other -- but these are not young men and neither is an especially polished speaker. I suspect, barring anything really glaring, people will see whatever they expect to see and tomorrow will bring both sides claiming victory.
It's more like an announcement of new car models in a year where no major changes are being made: we all know who we think these men are; they're going to step onstage in their best debate suits, and they're both going to try to show off their best angles. If you're a Ford* fan, you're going to like the Ford; if you're a Chevy fan, you're going to like the Chevy. And even without anything startlingly new, you're going to want to watch.
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* The car company, not the President between Nixon and Carter.
I don't understand why we even expect a political debate to be useful to us in choosing whom to elect to an office. Debating is no longer an art. Those two old guys reminded me of when (30-40 years ago) I judged high school "debates". Someone had sold the kids a bill of goods that included the admonishment to speak as fast as they could to squeeze as much information in as possible. The result was that the presentations became tiring (I couldn't listen as fast as those kids could talk) and unintelligible (too much stuff just thrown out there). I want cogent presentation of an orderly set of data/thoughts/plans. Despite Dolly Parton, one just cannot put 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound sack. Bah, humbug!
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