Special Bulletin: The Debate

Prior to the debate, my prediction to friends was that Biden would do well, but the result would be inconclusive. That is probably about how it turned out, although I did not imagine quite how awful Trump would be. 

Biden won the “debate” overwhelmingly. Apart from Trump’s serial lies and rude interruptions, he uniformly displayed a variety of sour grimaces throughout. He behaved  like an unruly teenager being called to account by a gentle and firm but understandably exasperated Principal. And then there were his refusals to condemn white supremacy, to urge his followers to avoid violence or to accept the results of the election. Indeed, apart from the sheer ugliness of Trump’s performance, it reinforced a looming question: To what extent will Trump abuse the powers of his office to remain in power (and to escape potential prosecution and incarceration)?

For his part, Biden remained calm and largely positive in his outlook. There was certainly no sign of “Sleepy Joe” or a man of diminished mental acuity. His most effective moments came when he stepped away from combat with Trump and spoke directly to the viewing audience about his concerns for us. Once again, his decency and empathy spoke volumes.

Will Tuesday’s spectacle make a difference? It should, but that is by no means certain. It has long been my firm belief that Donald Trump is a contemptible human being and an extraordinarily dangerous president. At the same time, I have accepted that there are people of intelligence and decency who do not share that view. I know some of them personally and their perception is for me a matter of bafflement and despair. I have to say to them today, “Really, folks? Really? Is that what you are prepared to see in a President of the United States, a personage who used to be referred as ‘the leader of the free world’”?

A note to Attorney General Barr. You have repeatedly displayed not only your devotion to an all-powerful presidency, but your partisan loyalty to Donald Trump. In consequence, you have earned unprecedented rebukes from the faculty of the law school you attended and repeated calls for your resignation by hundreds of DOJ alumni who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations. As you watched the proceedings last night, did you not ask yourself whether the survival in office of Donald Trump is a cause for which you are willing to sacrifice what is left of your reputation?

A note to Judge Amy Coney Barrett. You are, by all accounts, a person of high intellect and integrity. As such, you must be personally troubled by the circumstances under which you were nominated and that a confirmation process is being pursued with extraordinary and unseemly haste. The President has made it clear that he expects your presence on the Supreme Court to help him prevail in the litigation that seems destined to follow the election on November 3. During your confirmation hearing, you will doubtless be asked to recuse yourself from any election issues to come before the Court. I suspect you will decline to make that commitment, but I hope that you will give recusal your prayerful consideration. Your service on the Supreme Court is likely to span several decades and it would be a shame for it to carry the indelible stain of having begun as a pawn of Donald Trump.