The second and last television debate of the presidential candidates took place at Belmont University in the state of Nashville.
The debate was much better than the first, when the two actors spoke to each other, there was almost nothing to understand, and even though they both did, President Donald Trump was much more rude and brutal. As if last time it was important to show more energy and vigor, and the content was secondary.
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So even though the bar was set very low, we can say that it was a good debate. The two gentlemen let each other speak, more or less keeping the agreed time, they could understand. They also reduced – so it only applies to Trump – the level of emotions and ventilated energy, it was, so to speak, with volume to the left.
The debate was prepared much more professionally, this time the supranational commission for debates took it seriously and carefully. The acoustics and the overall “setting” were better, but most importantly the excellent moderator was Kristen Welker. She managed to maintain rigor, impartiality and authority, and she didn’t even have to raise her voice too much.
Trump probably realized that the first debate with the electorate had hurt him.
The debate was probably Trump’s last chance to get back in the game, unless we believe the dream of a large army of voters who say in the poll that they will vote Biden because they are ashamed or afraid to admit that they will vote for Trump. After this debate, Trump is back in the game and can still catch up with Biden’s lead. On the other hand, it should be noted that 45 million people in America have already recalled by correspondence.
The first part of the debate focused on the pandemic. Trump emphasized that mortality had fallen, and explained quite convincingly why the economy should no longer be closed. The vaccine is said to be in a matter of weeks. Biden emphasized veils, plexiglass, social distancing in restaurants, more testing, more tracing. Plexiglas is expensive for ordinary restaurants, the president laughed at the fact that people would sit in plastic boxes, Biden said he didn’t know what he was talking about, he had no contact with ordinary voters.
The overall trend is already clear. The right will push for faster opening of the economy and business, the left more for veils, data and mass testing and tracing. Probably not just in the USA.
As for the fight against climate change, Biden has failed to tell Trump how he wants to force Russia and China to reduce emissions. Republicans will certainly take advantage in the remaining days of Biden’s commitment to curb oil companies, whose production is incidentally linked to American security and position.
Foreign policy issues focused only on Russia and China, but almost exclusively on the question of the integrity and personal interests of the candidates. Biden has a scandal with his son and brother and their activities in Ukraine and China and because they benefited from Biden’s vice president. According to Biden, Trump does not criticize Putin and is said to pay more taxes in China than at home.
The positive conclusion that can be drawn from this is that both discussants spoke of China and Russia in a completely shielded manner, trying to shake off suspicions that they might be holding back Russia or China. And that’s actually simple and good news. In connection with the intelligence reports that not only Russia but also Iran want to influence the American elections, Biden sharply opposed Iran, from which we can deduce something that he might want to renew the nuclear agreement with Iran.
Otherwise, from the point of view of Europocentrism, we Europeans must have been disappointed by the debate. Significantly, there was no talk for a second about NATO, Russian gas, the EU or Brexit, and certainly not about the German trade surplus and German cars, which are so angry with President Trump, etc. Nothing.
The strategic importance of Europe is diminishing, but in the end there was no talk of Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel or the Middle East. Nothing again.
In fact, the debate has only underlined that Americans are living ahead of the election with economic opening, a supportive package for their economy, health care, social inequality, a minimum wage, migration and racism. The most important foreign policy issue in the DPRK debate was; the choice of topics may not have been advantageous for Trump, because he is very successful in foreign policy.
In the case of American topics, there was no talk of what is quite interesting, for example, the author of Monitor JM. For example, nothing about the role of social networks and their impact on politics. Nothing about new censorship. Nothing about regulating big internet companies. Nothing about the recent unrest, looting and the movement that wants to weaken funding for the police, nothing about the cultural war, identity politics and the removal of statues. Nothing about the relationship to the constitution, the founding fathers, the Supreme Court or the admission of new states to the federation.
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The author is the chairman of the board of directors of IPPS – Institute for Politics and Society.
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