Given the synergy, shall we say, between the legacy media and the Democratic Party, the idea that the pundit voices all clamoring to derail the debates between Joe Biden and President Trump are somehow doing so in opposition to the closely held wishes of the Biden campaign is difficult to believe.
Explaining why Biden ducking the debates is good for the American people and sound campaigning as well has become the topic of the month on the Left. Among the leading voices—former Clinton mouthpiece Joe Lockhart (CNN), journalist Elizabeth Drew (New York Times), Alex Shephard (The New Republic)—none are saying that Biden is not up to the task, of course.
No. All kinds of anti-debate equivocations are being churned out:
The trouble is, they’re boring.
The trouble is, Trump lies.
The trouble is, they’re a circus,
Which Democrats despise (or complete your own rhyme).
Well, to a lot of people, pace Brian Stelter’s protests at CNN, it looks like wiggling.
It looks, in fact, like a trial balloon attempting to ascertain whether, if Biden wimps out, the American people will conclude simply that Biden’s synapses are growing falteringly few in number. If Joe is a no-show, will Americans leap in one bound to the S-word (senility)?
Indeed, possibly the Biden campaign has already concluded that wheeling Joe out to face Trump—three times!—is out of the question, whereupon—in the mushy parlance that passes for critical thought in liberal circles—what is needed is a narrative . . . and a good one. Several, please.
Which brings us to the logical Trump response if and when Joe’s white flag goes up. If Biden won’t stand up like a person and discourse with his opponent on the pressing, serious problems facing America and the world, then Trump’s only recourse is to engage in a debate with the other presidential candidate (no, not Howie Hawkins): Kanye West, Birthday Party.
Now that would be television!
Trump should not only propose that he and Kanye debate. Trump should demand it! Tweet: “If @ye is serious about running for president then let him show some of that #DragonEnergy and walk out on the stage with @realDonaldTrump!” You can come up with Trump tweets all day long on how to taunt a supposedly reluctant Kanye into picking up the gauntlet.
(And, to make it interesting, Kanye could in fact be reluctant and demur with a sneer toward the president. They could then engage in a series of tweets-for-tats before the Battle Royale. It will be like a remake of Foreman-Ali, or Trump-O’Donnell.)
The beautiful point is that if Biden opts out of the debate and Trump says the American people deserve to hear a serious discussion of the issues (and even invites the Greens and the Libertarians along) then which network exactly would not broadcast it? And think of the great sport it will be watching the liberal media try to convey, without exactly saying so, that Kanye West (who is a black person) is somehow not really capable of having a serious discussion of the issues. (This is the same Kanye West, by the way, who is worth about $1.3 billion).
Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, has said quite recently that her husband will indeed show up to three debates with the president. Perhaps so. Biden famously orated in his vice-presidential acceptance speech that his father implored his son: “when you get knocked down, get up. Get up, Joe!” So maybe Joe will hear the bell one last time.
On the other hand, many on the Left who see a train wreck looming on the horizon might opt for George Kennedy’s advice for Paul Newman after pummeling him to the ground in “Cool Hand Luke”: Stay down, Joe.
Well, if Joe stays down, bring on Yeezy!