Debates are Performances, Not How Presidents Work

Terre Haute Tribune Star, Jume 28, 2024

To the Editor:

The not-so Great debate. 10 point scale: Biden 5, Trump 2.

So everyone has a first take, a hot response to the debate. I do. It starts in the form of a question.

Should we be more depressed about Biden's optics and delivery of basic truths and information about his policies or about Trump's lies and total avoidance of many of the questions he was asked?

Every time Biden started his 1, 2, 3 point answers, forget the sound of his voice, you either learned something or you could nod in agreement because of your experience or study of the subject.

Every time Trump avoided answering the question put to him and called Biden the worst and our nation a disaster you either said to yourself, "Well that's not true. He made that up." Or, "Who the hey does this guy think he is? He can't even say something in general supporting working mothers who can't afford child care!?"

In general, debates are a really poor indicator of who to vote for. Debates are performances. They're about optics (the look) and audio (the sound) of candidates responding, off the cuff, without the aid of policy advisors or notes, to some good and some bad questions.

But I shouldn't be so hard on Trump, after all he did tell us (again) how he's won two golf club championships. Though many who have played with him say his scorecards are "rigged,"

Gary Daily