Ten days left for the telefight between her Kamala Harris and his Donald Trump which may be decisive for the outcome of the November 5 ballot, but the debate risks being postponed or even canceled at the last minute, as the two candidates for the White House argue over whether their microphones should be open at the same time.
The possibility of one intervening when the other is speaking and vice versa is not a technical detail, but a matter of substance. A brawl in front of the cameras could shift the center of gravity of the political conflict and add to the tense atmosphere in the two months before the presidential election.
The political confrontation is in red
The political confrontation has reached a fever pitch and has reached Arlington Military Cemetery, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the chaotic withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan and the death of 13 marines from a bombing at its airfield Kabul. Trump posed with a smile and a thumbs-up over a soldier’s grave with the family of the fallen and denounced the Biden-Harris duo as humiliating America. Democrats accused him of desecrating the monument for campaign purposes, Trump responded that his opponents were trying to distort reality with fragmentary snapshots, and in an outburst of anger claimed that “Biden and Kamala with their incompetence killed these children”.
WORDS MENTIONED MOST AT THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS
The polls
After the Democratic convention, where she officially received the presidential nomination, Harris widened her lead to 45% to Trump’s 41% nationally (Reuters/Ipsos poll of registered voters), but the Republican candidate leads 45% to 43 % in the seven States that decided the 2020 election.
A race with many twists and turns
In the final stretch of a campaign with many twists and turns (culminating in his departure Joe Biden from the race and his replacement by Harris), the two protagonists of the election will be together for the first time in front of 240 million voters. The debate will take place in Pennsylvania, one of the ambivalent states, hosted by two journalists from the ABC network, the Lindsay Davis and him David Muirwho take on this role for the first time.
Intensive tutorials
In the midst of their campaign tours, Harris and Trump have intensive debate tutoring. The dispute over the possibility of interventions reveals the reversal of roles and expectations caused by the replacement of the 82-year-old Biden by the 60-year-old Harris.
Democrats want open mics
During Biden’s candidacy, last May, the two staffs had agreed to hold two debates, in which while one would speak, the microphone of the other would be turned off so that he could not interrupt him. Democrats then wanted as simple a process as possible to avoid what they ultimately didn’t avoid in the first debate on June 27, the confusion and loss of composure of Biden with known disastrous results for his image, without Trump even interrupting him.
But when Harris replaced Biden, the Democrats demanded that the rules be changed, that the microphones be open and that interventions be allowed, betting on the explosive nature of the 78-year-old Trump.
They are hoping for a… explosion
Democrats are hoping that Trump can’t hold back, lash out at Harris at some point and expose himself irreparably, e.g. with an offensive characterization that will give rise to accusations of misogyny. Republicans are sticking to what they agreed to in May and fear that without the… rein of the closed mic, Trump will go out of bounds against a powerful woman, a former prosecutor (Trump has been convicted of 34 felonies in his first trial).
However, Harris also risks, if she takes a prosecutorial style, inadvertently giving points to Trump who complains that he is a victim of political persecution by the establishment. On Thursday, Trump shared on his Truth Social account an abusive, sexist comment from another user about Harris and Hillary Clinton.
Harris’ priorities
Last week, Harris laid out her political plan in an interview with CNN, prioritizing strengthening the middle class and tackling racism. He described Trump’s personal attacks as an “old, outdated recipe” and said she could include a Republican in her administration.
The change in her positions
Having the vice president candidate by her side Tim WalshHarris explained that her shift in favor of fracking on public lands to extract natural gas and oil, as well as her hardening of positions on Immigration, is a result of her experience managing pressing issues without it means she abandoned her values.
The baton change
As for Biden’s decision to pass the baton to her, she said that when he called her to tell her of his decision, she was at home making pancakes for her nieces. “My first thought was not of me, but of him” Harris said.
#Conflict #Harris #Trump #debate #grave #Arlington
