Tonight at 9:00 pm eastern time, the world will hold its breath as America’s Democratic and Republican presidential nominees take the stage for one of the most consequential debates in modern history. This could be the preamble to an election crucible in which our country chooses a hard right lurch toward authoritarianism or to remain a democratic experiment.
There are some of us who are feeling introspective and undecided about tonight’s presidential debate between Trump and Harris. Some are wondering if it is worth spending 2 hours of our lives to watch a pathological liar bullshit his way through a debate without regard to the gravitas of the moment. More optimistically, some are expecting to hear cogent, lucid policy positions we can sink our teeth into to make an informed decision on election day without fear of those policies being cast aside faster than Josh Hawley ran from the House floor during the January 6 insurrection.
It has already been shown that Trump lies at d(T) = mV(l2). (Source: the speed of lies.) With fact-checking made impossible, why not allow Trump to debate a straw man of his own choosing? If we look at Trump’s inner circle of debate advisors, goddess Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic representative from Hawaii; former Speaker of the House coup leader and Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida; immigration advisor and Border Collie Stephen Miller; and strategist (seriously?) Jason Miller. These are all poster children for the next coup d’etat fundraiser, coming soon to a location near you. It is a who’s who of people most likely to be thrown under the bus by Trump when he loses the election. It is Putin’s not-so-clandestine inside influencers whom he has promised plush dachas in Moscow if his useful idiot triumphs, and a plush gulag in Siberia if he is defeated.
I am not having such a debate debate, even if it turns into a debate debacle of ponderous proportions. There is always some perverse entertainment value to watch Trump suddenly go off script and speak extemporaneously. Since he will have no script tonight, the chances of an unhinged melt-down have increased significantly. If he is lucky, the absence of his MAGA cult audience will keep him from being triggered. I am cautiously excited to see how Kamala reacts and responds when Trump attempts to trigger her. But more importantly, I want to see a clear winner in this debate. I hope to see a seismic shift in polls away from the Mar-a-Lago maniac and toward a former liberal San Francisco prosecutor.
Has anyone other than me fantasized about Trump being prosecuted by Kamala Harris?
I'm still suffering PTSD from the last debate. I will probably be watching tonight, if only because I won't be able to ignore it and no other activity I can think of will be distracting enough. As Lloyd Bridges said in the film Airplane...I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
Amen