Debate Optics

By Robin Itzler 

Editor's Note:  This is one of the commentaries selected from Robin's weekly newsletter Patriot Neighbors. Any cartoons appearing will have been added by me.  If you wish to get the full edition,   E-mail her at PatriotNeighbors@yahoo.com to get on her list, it's free.  RK

What was very interesting in the June 27 CNN debate was how Trump always faced the camera, even when Biden was speaking. Biden, on the other hand, usually faced Trump when the 45th president was speaking. That greatly helped with optics in Trump’s favor. Joe Biden spent a full week being prepped for the debate and apparently, he was never told how to stand when the opposing candidate speaks. Guess Biden’s handlers were too busy figuring out how much meds he needed so he could stand for 90 minutes.

Per CNN, more than 51 million TVs were turned to the debate: - 9.5 million on CNN - 9.3 million on Fox - 9.2 million on ABC News - 4.1 million on MSNBC - 2.5 million streamers - 30 million views online—CNN’s most-watched digital event in its history

On the DEMOCRAT side, major newspapers are calling for Biden to step down. (We want him to remain the nominee.) 

• The New York Times became the first major leftist newspaper calling for Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential election. The editorial said that “...the greatest public service (Biden) can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.” 
• The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Others calling for Biden to step down include:

• The Wall Street Journal
• The Chicago Tribune 
• The New Yorker 
• The Economist (July 6 cover)  
• The Boston Globe

Let’s be honest, the greatest public service Biden could now perform would be to endorse President Trump for re-election. (Okay, a gal can dream!) However, as proof of the split in our nation, one major newspaper called for Trump to step down:

• The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that “Biden had a horrible night Thursday. But the debate about the debate is misplaced. The only person who should withdraw from the race is Trump. ...Biden on his worst day remains light years better than Trump on his best.”

As President Trump said at the June 28 Virginia rally:

“The question every voter should be asking themselves today is NOT whether Joe Biden can survive a 90-minute debate performance—but whether America can survive four more years of Crooked Joe Biden in the White House.”

On the DEMOCRAT side, the Democrat National Committee is considering formally nominating Joe “Dementia” Biden in July to make absolutely sure he meets all state requirements to appear on ballots. They also want to stop intra-party rumors about replacing Joe … or do they mean replacing Jill?

On the INDEPENDENT side, on the same night as the CNN debate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. stood on a Los Angeles stage that had a large TV screen showing the CNN debate between Trump and Biden. With the same time allocation, RFK responded to the questions. John Stossel was the moderator. In his opening remarks, RFK said:

“This is something that’s important for our democracy because Americans feel like the system is rigged. This is exactly the kind of merger of state and corporate power that I’m running to oppose.”

Between now and Election Day (the sorta official end to Election Season), the media will continually interview “undecided” voters. Sometimes they return to the same person/group to learn if their views have changed following a major event or announcement. The “undecideds” claim to 15 minutes of fame only continues if they remain “undecided.” The second they announce who they will vote for, the cameras turn away. This is why they will remain “undecided” until November 5. They probably like the attention.

In reality, if a voter TODAY is undecided about the direction they want the United States of America to go — tyranny with Democrats or Constitutional Republic with Republicans — maybe they should not be allowed to vote.