A Debate “Tell”
While the first Presidential debate of the 2020 Campaign has been roundly criticized from ALL sides of the political spectrum, I’m inclined to take a contrarian position. The debate, as messy as it was, provided American voters with MUCH information. In fact the debate can be thought of as one giant “tell.”
A “tell” is defined as words or actions in which an individual reveals things about himself or his situation that he may not want to have revealed. The first debate was nothing less, ladies and gentlemen, than a consummate “tell.” For both sides, really.
While Joe Biden was sinking to new lows by calling President Trump a “clown”, a “racist”, a”fool” and”Putin’s puppy” (he really used those terms), he unwittingly revealed himself to be both rude and crude. Can anyone IMAGINE Ronald Reagan ever speaking that way? For that matter, can anyone imagine Bill Clinton doing so, either?… I thought not. Despite his veneer of “Mr. Nice Guy” and “affable Uncle Joe,” Mr. Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., is, on the inside, a callous soul. This jives entirely with his heartbreakingly callous treatment of his young Congressional intern, Tara Reid, as well as his apparently insatiable need to touch, fondle and SNIFF women and young girls. It is also “telling” that dispite his putative lead in the polls, Biden is frightened enough in his heart of hearts by Mr. Trump that he felt it necessary to resort to using such terms.
On the other hand, Biden DID accomplish one thing he needed to do: he countered, to some degree, the damaging perception, shared by many, that he’s “Sleepy Joe Biden.” Whether it was by the use of stimulant drugs (he REFUSED a urine drug test that Mr. Trump requested and had consented to for himself as well) or the use of an Esteem auditory implant prompter (he REFUSED an ENT examination which, again, Mr. Trump requested and consented to for himself also), he did seem to have more energy than he had displayed in recent months. Observations that would support the suspicion, however, that his new found gumption is ARTIFICIAL are several. First, prior to the debate, his team had requested that the debate committee allow two 15 minute breaks to be taken during the 90 minute debate. The debate committee turned this request down, of course. Dealing with the likes of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani, China’s Xi Jinping, or crisis situations of all types, would NOT be limited, in the real world, to 30 minute intervals. And everyone knows that. So why make such a “telling” request, if he was physically and mentally up to the task? Also, his refusal to consent to mutual drug tests and mutual ENT exams is “telling” as well. Put simply, WHAT IS HE HIDING? Another observation that belies the image of a truly vigorous Joe Biden is the fact that he routinely “puts a lid on” (concludes) interviews early in the morning, a VERY unusual policy for a presidential candidate this late into the campaign. Another, “tell” if you will.
Mr. Trump also revealed something about himself that you might think he’d like to conceal or, at least, downplay: he revealed that he’s a bully. No question, it’s true. But, despite this “tell”, he used his boorish style in the debate to do two things he needed to do: 1) Establish that Biden is a liar (To get a sense of just how big a liar Biden is, just note that fact checkers at the very liberal Washington Post gave Biden ELEVEN “Pinocchios” for the debate!). 2) Make clear that he (Trump) won’t let his EXCELLENT record be fallaciously besmirched by the likes of Biden and the Democrat Party. And, dear readers, if you had to concede one character flaw in an individual who would likely be severely tested in the international and domestic theaters every single day of the year, wouldn’t it be just that: being a bully. It matters not whether he is viewed as a “nice guy” or a “gentleman.” Was Julius Ceasar a nice guy?.. Not likely. Was Napoleon a “nice guy?”… I sincerely doubt it. But, in the last analysis, leaders of nation states, including America, need not to be “liked”, but rather to be acknowledged, respected, and, to a certain degree, feared. So, bully he is. His “tell” established that with out a doubt.
So, dear readers, Tuesday’s debate was not the useless sideshow that many are claiming. It was instead, a window into the candidate’s souls. It was, in fact, quite a “tell.”