OCTOBER 23, 2020 – My wife and I listened to every word of last night’s “debate.” We declared Biden the winner hands down, though Kristen Welker deserves special mention for her superb job in formulating questions and moderating the affair. GoebbelsNews declared Il Dunce the victor thanks to red herrings mixed with red meat. Observers left and right assigned Trump credit for not having crashed through the guardrails.
Now Biden needs to win the election so that we won’t suffer an American implosion and have to crawl to Canada. For one thing, however cold winter is in much of Minnesota, it’s a lot colder north of the border. And of course—there’s family to worry about!
Apart from “winning”—a low standard against Trump—Biden established firmly his presidential bona fides. Trump’s performance, meanwhile, was ample evidence that he’s not the kind of person any self-respecting American should want in the People’s House.
Whereas Trump lobbed at Ms. Welker predictable lies and lines with characteristically tiresome, baseless superlatives, Biden addressed the TV-viewing audience—red, blue, and violet—and did so with substance, conviction, and credibility.
What produced the biggest contrast between the two candidates, however, was the question regarding 545 migrant kids being separated from their parents: Biden’s response reflected genuine empathy; Trump’s answer revealed abject callousness.
“The children are being so well taken care of,” the President said. I shuddered. As any parent can attest, there’s no worse feeling than losing your little kid in a crowded place—even for a moment. I imagined the separation of those migrant kids from their parents and the real possibility that they’ll never be reunited. In that context, Trump’s tone-deafness sounded as bad as a child’s abusive kidnapper saying, “The child is being so well taken care of.”
Biden declared the separations criminal. He spoke from the heart, as would any empathic soul, and as should anyone with half a brain who aspires to lead a nation. Trump’s response proved that he has no heart, has no soul, which leaves . . . but he has no brains.
Throughout the “debate” Trump played strictly to his base, ignoring the fact that he can’t win by appealing only to his “red meat, red herring” audience. Biden, by contrast, addressed the concerns of all decent Americans—Covid, health care, the economy, climate change, racial injustice, the integrity of our electoral system, and perhaps most important of all: a president’s character. That’s how a unifier—a winner—and a leader talks. By stating what he’ll say on Inauguration Day, Biden gave hope to Americans seeking the United States.
America itself is in the balance on November 3. Trump’s re-election would torpedo our future. Biden’s election will give our collective vessel a fighting chance to clear the icebergs and minefields ahead.
Do your patriotic part. Vote Biden-Harris early . . . and influence family, friends, acquaintances to do the same. Not only is Canada colder but less daylight shines there during the tough months of the year.
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© 2020 by Eric Nilsson
