The opinions expressed below are those of Jon Keller, not of WBZ, CBS News, or Paramount Global.
BOSTON – Coming Soon Thursday evening’s debateevery presidential campaign had a clear goal.
For former President Donald Trump, it was meant to avoid the clownish behavior and constant interruptions that backfired on him four years ago. And while the fact checkers will have a holiday with his usual parade of braggadocio and whoppers, for the most part he accomplished his mission. Trump’s delivery was clear and powerful, however questionable the rhetoric.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
For President Joe Biden, the first task was to dispel lingering doubts about his age and persuasiveness. But from the start, his delivery faltered and his voice hoarse. He seemed tired and overprogrammed. (During the debate, his people told reporters that he had a cold. It must have been a bad one.) And Biden provided his foes with a generous supply of halting sound bites, including one in which he completely lost the thread and declared that he had “defeated Medicaid.”
It was a disastrous performance by the sitting president, but will it derail his candidacy? The good news for Biden — if you can call it that — is that this debacle happened more than four months before Election Day, more than enough time for events to catch up with what happened. But there’s no sugar-coating it: If the Biden campaign was already in a hole before last night, that hole is even deeper now.
Elections probably determined by undecided people
And keep in mind that this election will likely still be decided by the undecided, that small group of voters who are generally uninterested in politics, don’t follow the news closely, and are deeply skeptical of partisan politics when they do pay attention. For those who were watching, neither man offered much inspiration, Biden in the role of the elderly neighbor who has come to mean nothing, Trump in the role of the self-aggrandizing farmer at the end of the bar.
Will these unsavory options keep them home in November, or cause them to ignore their ballots? If so, the race will become an electoral battle, with each side trying to whip its supporters into a “he-must-stop” frenzy. It’s the kind of hate-fueled petri dish that domestic and foreign trolls thrive in, and promises to be the ugliest four months in American political history. Not to mention what comes after.
Let’s hope that next Thursday, July 4th, the weather is nice, the burgers are cooked to perfection, and the fireworks are amazing. That will at least give us something to celebrate.
