Trump vs Biden First Debate

Well that was an interesting 90 minutes.

There were times when I laughed and times when I was infuriated. It wasn't particularly edifying or informative but it was entertaining.

Let me kick my analysis off by saying that I was disappointed in the moderation of Chris Wallace. He gave Biden a number of free passes while using every opportunity to reign in President Trump.

I realise that Trump didn't help himself in that regard with his many interjections but Wallace could barely conceal the fact he loved being a player on the world stage.

Wallace revealed his bias when he claimed Trump was ending 'Racial Sensitivity Training' when that statement isn't true.

If Wallace was unaware of that then his preparation has been incompetent. If he knew it to be false he has demonstrated his partisanship.  

For the record,  Trump is actually banning a specific process known as 'Critical Race Theory' which teaches the USA's primary institutions and the concept of private property are racist.  

From Biden's perspective I think he exceeded the very low expectations many (me included) had of him.  He was lucid and coherent most of the time and the occasions when he faltered, the interruptions by President Trump actually let him off the hook.

Biden did stumble badly when he refused to rule out stacking the Supreme Court and denied embracing the Green New Deal that his running mate and platform has specifically endorsed.  

Biden even has this statement on his website:

Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting climate challenges we face

Later in the debate he stated the Green New Deal (with a $100 trillion price tag) would pay for itself. That exchange will be used against him again and again in coming weeks.

He also opened himself up by denying a number of claims that are actually true - especially when they related to his son Hunter. His attempt to switch the discussion to his other (deceased) son also backfired because he doesn't have an answer to the corruption allegations which Trump neatly pivoted back to.

It was also telling that Biden was so tepid in his support for law enforcement. He actually seemed scared to utter the words and struggled to name a single political endorsement from a police department.

He also failed to condemn Antifa and went so far to deny they even existed claiming they were only an 'idea'.

Trump played it perfectly when he retorted:

When a bat hits you over the head, that’s not an idea

Biden's abuse of Trump (shut up man, liar, clown, racist) will catch headlines and cheer on his supporters but  didn't do him any favours. Mostly because he has tried to paint himself as a more 'stable' leader than Trump.

Although I am a fan, I didn't think tonight was the President's best performance.

He missed a couple of easy shots because he was so verbose.

To me, the obvious response to the Supreme Court was to invoke the constitution but I didn't hear him even use that word.

He could also have been tighter on his record of achievements. After all, there are many to be proud of and he should have peeled them off, one after another, for his allotted two minutes.

Trump didn't bring Biden's history of endorsing segregation or embrace of the KKK which could have been very effective and so was a missed opportunity. He also could have been more definitive in respect to white supremacists.

I must say I enjoyed the asides from Trump but many won't share that view but he did have some stellar lines through the night.

Perhaps the finest was "I've done more in 47 months than you have in 47 years".

As expected, I doubt this debate will have changed a single mind. People will view the exact same vision and draw different conclusions according to their politics.

What it did do is flush out some contradictions that will be used very effectively against the Biden candidacy.

Biden did better than expected and Trump could have been much tighter which would have made him more effective.

As such, I'm calling it a draw.