I forced myself to watch the debate last night so I wouldn’t have to get my facts from or pundits or newspaper columnists. It was painful to watch. Biden was off his game, though I am not sure why. Certainly not because he is old. He was old when he gave the State of the Union. He was old when he spoke on June 6. He was old when he greeted the people outside the debate hall last night. Biden is old but that isn’t why he had a bad night. I’m not sure why he had a bad night but it wasn’t because of his age. Maybe it was because he had a cold. Maybe it was the cold medicine. I myself get loopy when I take Dayquil. Whatever, Biden is old and he had a bad night. That’s the story of Biden.
Now let’s talk about Trump. Trump was smug and more contained than we’ve seen him of late. (Could it be that he was the one taking performance enhancing drugs? Is that why his campaign knows so much about them?) Whatever, Trump was smug and more contained than his usual self. What was the same however was that everything that came out of his mouth was a lie. Everything. Trump was a liar when he told us he’d show us his tax returns. He was a liar when told us he didn’t know who E. Jean Carroll was. He was a liar when he was president. He was (and continues to be) a liar at his rallies. He was a liar last night. That’s the story of Trump.
What I saw last night were two men who represent very different possibilities for our country. On the left was a man who wants to be a dictator and will lie and cheat his way to the White House, a man who surrounds himself with others who also lie and cheat. Their mantra is power.
On the right was a good man who had a bad night but who surrounds himself with people whose mantra is service and love of country.
I’m not a pundit or a columnist. But I watched the debate with open eyes and that is what I saw.
