The Debacle

 

Nirmala and I approached the big date, June 27,1024  with some trepidation. We had previously toyed with the idea that we would emigrate, perhaps to Canada, if Trump  won. Of late we decided that we are too old and that we will have to, as our knees demand, go down with the ship. Yes, it’s that bad. Who would have ever thought that a portly Pied Piper of New York would make children, angry children, out of so many of us. But that is exactly what happened.

Unfortunately, in U.S. debates, appearances always defeat substance. I remember the debate between Nixon and Kennedy so many years ago. Those that listened on the radio believed Nixon won, but those who watched the debate on live TV thought the opposite. I remember Kennedy’s winsome smile. I remember Nixon’s sweaty brow.

This debate was even worse. It seemed like, from my  perspective at least, that a very bad unqualified man was debating the remains of a good man. Yes, Biden came across as cadaverous.  He appeared to be much older than Trump.

I think he might have Parkinson’s Disease. His voice was very soft. He seemed to have mobility issues. He was very stiff. His facial expression was mask-like. All these are symptoms of Parkinson’s—but also of old age as well .

No, it isn’t a contest between Honesty and Deceit—if so, Biden would have easily won—but a debate of appearances Biden, unfortunately, lost.

Yes, Biden has done a lot for the country. He is a consummate politician. Trump, in contrast, is or was a ‘blowhard in chief’ as he was called by Jeb Bush in the past.

One would think that one should vote for the party, and not just for the individual. Which party would like to bring forth universal health care? Which advocates for raising the minimum wage and raising taxes on the very wealthy? (If you believe in the wild and mendacious imaginings of Ted Cruz that the Republican Party is the party of the working class, you might be interested in purchasing the Brooklyn Bridge. That so many white men and women have been seduced by this lie indicates how far we have fallen.)

Still, that Biden let him get away with stating that he never had sex with a porn star was too much. “Swear now, before your conscience and ours, that Stormy Daniels was lying!”

No, that didn’t happen. The debate devolved into a he said-he said confrontation. Trump came across as a more vigorous candidate. Truth lost, Trump won.

Perhaps we haven’t lost yet. Says the optimist within . Perhaps we already have, says the pessimist. Lots of things can happen between now and November. We can only hope that decency will prevail, even  against  all odds.