Here's what to expect at Thursday's debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump
By Gary Abernathy
Will we hear more from the candidates or the moderators?
In this day and age, the moderators can’t resist becoming the stars of the show to reap praise from their colleagues
Thursday night’s CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will almost certainly be remembered more for how the moderators handled it than for anything said by either candidate.
And since the moderators of the debate are Jake Tapper and Dana Bash – two entrenched far-left (formerly mainstream) media types – it is not incorrect to assume that the debate will be a 3-on-1 affair. Which is, in fairness, what Trump has agreed to do.
By the way, lately, whether here or on X (Twitter) or any other platform, I’ve taken to always referring to what some still refer to as the mainstream media as the far-left (formerly mainstream) media to point out that there is virtually no mainstream media anymore. There is left and right, and far left and far right. Let’s not pretend that ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, the New York Times, and most other formerly mainstream legacy media outlets are anything but far-left media.
That being the case, Trump on Thursday will be facing the Democratic nominee, Biden, and two journalists who might as well work for the Democratic National Committee. But again, he said yes to it.
Let’s be clear: Tapper and Bash’s main goal is not to moderate a fair and balanced debate, one which enlightens voters and allows Biden and Trump the opportunity to make their respective cases. No, the goal of these moderators will be to win plaudits from their contemporaries. What they want is to go online after the debate and read comments and analysis from their fellow far-left (formerly mainstream) colleagues praising them for “holding the candidates’ feet to the fire” – which means stopping Donald Trump every time he starts to speak and telling him he’s not being factual.
Here’s how this will go:
TRUMP: January 6th was not an insurrection. It was a lawful protest by law-abiding Americans who –
TAPPER: I’m sorry, Mr. Trump, but I have to stop you there. The January 6th Committee found that indeed it WAS an insurrection, and found that you were responsible for inciting it.
TRUMP: Jake, the January 6th Committee was a farce. It was completely scripted and produced by partisans, and –
BASH: I’m sorry, Mr. Trump, but in fact it was a bipartisan committee that included two Republican members of Congress, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, and they interviewed hundreds of witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the events.
And so it will go, whether on the topic of January 6th or any other subject. So anxious will Tapper and Bash be to interrupt Trump at every turn, Biden will be lucky to get a word in edgewise.
Failing to do so, Tapper and Bash would face enormous blowback from their fellow far-left (formerly mainstream) colleagues. They would be lambasted for letting Trump “lie” without calling him out on it, or for not correcting the record when Trump states an opinion.
Just to make it seem balanced, the moderators will have to correct Biden a time or two on some factual error. But the emphasis is all on Trump. And not because Trump lies all the time, as the far-left (formerly mainstream) media likes to insist – Trump doesn’t lie any more than any other politician – but because the narrative of “Trump the Historic Liar” has been carefully crafted and embedded into the culture.
Does Trump lie? Of course. Does Biden? Yes, just as often, as did Obama, the Bushes, Clinton, Reagan, etc.
The Washington Post famously kept track of Trump’s “lies or misleading claims,” adding up more than 30,000 in four years. But the vast majority of the “claims” are matters of opinion or typical political boasts that The Post includes on the list.
One example among thousands: Trump liked to boast about energy production during his presidency. The Post quotes him as saying, “We also unlocked our energy resources and became the world’s number one producer of oil and natural gas.”
The Post, including that on its list of lies and misleading claims, says in response:
Trump takes too much credit. The energy boom he’s referring to began during the Obama administration. The United States has led the world in natural gas production since 2009. Crude oil production has been increasing rapidly since 2010, reaching record levels in August 2018, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. In September 2018, the United States passed both Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the largest global crude oil producer. It is expected to hold that position, according to predictions from the International Energy Agency.
Did we all miss something? At what point did Trump lie about oil and gas? Even The Post, as it includes the statement in its list of lies and misleading claims, doesn’t actually explain where Trump was lying or misleading us, except to state that “Trump takes too much credit,” which is The Post’s opinion. In fact, it backs Trump up by noting that the U.S. became the largest global crude oil producer in 2018 – the second year of Trump’s presidency! Countless statements on The Post’s list fall into that category.
And even if the 30,000-plus number is correct, how does that compare to other presidents? We’ll never know. The Post didn’t keep track of anyone else, including Biden, so it’s impossible to quantify it.
Somewhere along the way (let’s say 2015 or 2016), the mainstream media – concluding its long journey to become the far-left media – decided that it’s job was not to observe and report what others did, but to become part of the story in order to protect us from those evil politicians (Trump) and their followers (MAGA Republicans). They decided their job was to interpret, analyze and fact-check rather than be conduits.
There’s always been a place for opinion, analysis and fact-checking. Reporting facts is crucial. But pretending that people can’t interpret facts differently is a relatively new assertion.
When Kellyanne Conway was roasted for claiming there were “alternative facts,” her critics went too far. Conway was making the point that there are always “additional” facts, which is what she should have said.
For anyone other than devoted Trump haters, Thursday’s debate is likely going to be difficult to watch. But again, Trump agreed to it, so he deserves no sympathy. But he does deserve to be heard. America is tuning in to hear Donald Trump and Joe Biden, not Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. It would be a pleasant surprise if Tapper and Bash remembered that.
Not surprising: Google joins Amazon in refusing to advertise ‘MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal’
For a while I thought Google was going to be different. For a couple of weeks, Google allowed me to purchase ads to promote my new book, “MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal.” I was hopeful, since, as noted here before, Amazon — while agreeing to offer the book for sale — has refused to allow me to purchase ads to promote it.
So I turned to Google, and followed the instructions on how to advertise on that platform. All went well for a couple of weeks. But then a live person or a more sophisticated bot finally put a stop to that, and I received an email from Google informing me that my account had been “suspended.”
Google said I was in violation of its business practices, which apparently means advertising a book called, “MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal — And Other Shocking Notions.” As with my Amazon ad, my Google ad merely announced the publication of my book, included an image of the cover, and linked to more information about the book, including how to buy it.
Google explained its decision, saying, “We want to support a healthy digital advertising ecosystem. One that’s trustworthy, transparent, and works for users and advertisers. Our policies are built to not only abide by laws but to ensure a safe and positive experience for our users. This means that our policies don't allow ads that we believe are harmful to users and to the advertising ecosystem.”
Apparently, using the word “MAGA” in a book title in a way that does not condemn the millions of Americans who support Donald Trump is “harmful to users and to the advertising ecosystem.”
Get it while you can (and while Amazon lets you): ‘MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal,’ in print and eBook
My new book, “MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal — And Other Shocking Notions,” is available on Amazon — so far. Buy it here.
Here’s a link to our website dedicated to the book. Please spread the word, because, as detailed previously, Amazon is not allowing me to use its ad program to promote the book. Thanks!
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Would love to hear your impressions of the debate.