This is some kind of disaster. Since the start of the debate, Joe Biden has been inconsistent, confused and, unlike him, uncharming. And this impression did not improve until the end of the performance.Donald Trump, again unexpectedly, has been relatively restrained, at least as restrained as Trump can be. Of course, throughout the entire 90 minutes he resorted to false statements, insults and exaggerations. By referring to things like "jobs for blacks" and "jobs for Latinos" and calling Biden a "bad Palestinian," Trump managed to sound all his usual racist notes.
But it was all just painful to watch, mostly because it was hopeless on any practical level. The much-hyped contest between two political opponents for the most important office in the world has proven to be superficial in substance, politics, interests, intellect, imagination, vision, energy, ideas, humor and hope. Perhaps only one aspect of the debate (besides the shudders, of course) stood out: the egos of the panelists.
However, the presidency should not just be a vanity project. The debates between Trump and Biden eloquently demonstrate that this is exactly what it has become. Biden's performance was so far below acceptable that the Democratic Party should be ashamed of itself for allowing him to run for re-election. Based on his performance, Democrats are almost certain to lose. Trump's narcissism is notorious, and he has also effectively destroyed the Republican Party from within. The stakes are too high to let the inflated egos of these two men determine the fate of millions of people here and around the world. If Democrats truly believe that democracy is on the line in this election, they should choose someone other than Biden as their candidate. There's still time.
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