After the ABC News three-against-one ambush of former president Donald Trump during what had been coyly billed as a “debate,” Trump has since announced he is not interested in a third debate. Why would he? Unlike Charlie Brown, Trump knows that Lucy will lie and always pulls the football away.
During the first debate against President Joe Biden on CNN, Trump won the election itself. Determined to not let that happen again, ABC put on a naked display of bias and hostility, with moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis acting more like lions in the coliseum looking for lunch instead of journalists interested in providing Americans with a fair and informative debate.
We know there was forethought to the “Get Trump” approach at the debate courtesy of a puff piece in the Los Angeles Times about Davis. In it, they lauded her “fact-checking” of Trump while characterizing her as a “sharp blade.” She and Muir, we’re told, “studied hours of campaign rallies and interviews” ready to counter egregious statements, as though they were also debating him.
When the Times asked Davis why they did that, she told them proudly it was in response to what happened during the June 27th CNN debate which ended Biden’s campaign. “People were concerned that statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by the candidate Biden or the moderators,” said Davis. They did not check Harris at all, and contradicted Trump on statements that were true. And that was the point as they became Harris’ bodyguards, wingmen, and bouncers.
How obvious was the interference? Democratic Pollster Mark Penn is calling for an internal investigation at ABC to determine exactly what happened. RCP reports, “Pollster and former Clinton strategist Mark Penn called on ABC News to hire an outside law firm to look into internal communication between the network and the Harris campaign and to ‘what extent’ they planned on ‘rigging the outcome of this debate.’ […] ‘I think the day after, suspicion here is really quite high, and I think a review of all their internal texts and emails really should be done by an independent party to find out to what extent they were planning on, in effect, you know, fact-checking just one candidate and in effect, rigging the outcome of this debate. I think the situation demands nothing less than that,’” said Penn.
Harris couldn’t be sure of how much support she would receive, but Democrats have known for decades that the legacy media is their very good friend with benefits. There is one rumor that Harris was given sample questions before the debate. This belief is fueled by the fact that Hillary Clinton was given at least some questions before one of her debates in 2016 with Trump. If the last 10 years have taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible, yet, let me explain why this time it is an extremely unlikely scenario.
Consider that Harris didn’t need to know the questions because her strategy was not to answer any of the questions. We saw that immediately with the first question of the evening when Muir asked her, “Do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” She never answered the question, but delivered a wordy non-answer, filled with platitudes and noise, thus revealing her strategy for the entire debate. Muir tipped his studied bias when he did not confront her about not answering perhaps the most important question of the debate. Harris was nervous up to that point, but learned very quickly, the moderators had her back.
With her responses, we learned Harris had been prepared to respond to every question, no matter the topic, with empty and patronizing statements as distractions. Very much like when Jill Biden praised Joe Biden after his career-ending debate with Trump with, “Joe, you answered every question!” But Kamala didn’t answer the questions, she simply responded to them. And considering the result of the debate through focus groups, interviews, and emerging polls, independents and the undecided recognized her evasiveness immediately.
Bottom line: When you have no intention of genuinely answering any question, you don’t need the questions in advance.
Harris’ strategy was to replace her go-to word salads with more formal and less complicated patronizing declarations combined with mugging for the camera, smirking at Trump, making sure there were no cackles, and general pantomime & mockery. In other words, the strategy was for her to be a “Vapid Mean Girl”. Trump haters were thrilled; the average American voter? Not so much.
Our situation for at least the last decade has been exhausting. The American people have been treated by the establishment as though we are disposable dish rags, as our lives are upended by financial disasters and foreign wars to which our loved ones are sent to die. We now live with trepidation about what fresh hell (thank you Dorothy Parker) the next day will bring as our country explodes into a dumpster fire.
President Trump and his family have gone through even more, also meant to exhaust and ruin them and, in what was no doubt a wish fantasy of pushing his family to demand he withdraw from public life. The goal remains to imprison him while in the meantime some lunatic might do their job for them by permanently taking him off the field.
The behavior of Kamala Harris during the debate was badly advised and was another sign that they really have no connection with the nature of what’s happening with the American people. They had no interest in providing more specifics on what she would do about the economy, the border, and about the general decline of American life and the dangers we face every day. They simply don’t care, because we are only shadows to them.
They have no intention of ever telling us what they’re going to do to us, and so that precludes the need to get questions in advance or to take any action geared toward even trying to make it appear as though they care about the country. They know and we know what their plan is. We have been living in it through the last 3 1/2 years, and I would argue for the last 50 years.
We must be focused and determined for the eight weeks leading to election day, and must not forget early voting us almost upon us. Yet, this is only the start, as when Trump is reelected is when the hard work really begins. Stay steady, and do your best to avoid getting drawn into rabbit holes or distracted from our mission.
Tammy Bruce, an Independent Conservative, has traversed a unique political journey that reflects her commitment to principles rather than party affiliations. She joined Fox News in 2005 as a Political Contributor, hosting her show “Get Tammy Bruce” on Fox Nation and providing insightful commentary on various issues for the Association for Mature Americans (AMAC).
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Trump thought Kamala, like Biden, would implode and disappointingly she didn’t and she was well rehearsed in her lies and even her fake facial expressions. She is now pretending to be the candidate “for the people”. Trump did let her bait him and his ego flared on his rally crowd sizes and the 2020 election. Sadly, the lapdog moderators “fact checked” Trump but let her completely get away with the never ending lies about Trump’s Charlottesville comments, the “bloodbath” lie, the lie that he incited Jan. 6 and the lie that he wants to ban abortion. Three on one debates are hardly helpful.
Regardless of who you think won the debate, I say believe what they do and have done and not what they say.
Harris was 100% on board and, in fact, the border Czar when they completely opened the border and destroyed the U.S. as a sovereign nation; letting in criminals, terrorists, drug and sex traffickers and the Chinese made fentanyl that has literally killed a quarter of a million American citizens. And yes, crime is on the rise almost everywhere as 12 to 14 million unvetted illegals have been dispersed by this administration all across the country at taxpayer expense. And you’re paying for their food, housing and medical expenses. And not only “migrant crime” but huge crime increases in those Democrat controlled cities where they instituted those “no bail” and “defund the police” policies that Harris supports. Harris was, in fact, the tie breaking vote on their “Green” spending bill that along with their war on fossil fuel has destroyed our economy and caused cumulative 21% inflation since 2020. They’ve caused a 46% increase in gas prices, a 29.6% increase in electricity, a 21.6% increase in rents and a 132% increase in average mortgage total costs. Under Trump wages were up over 7% and under Biden/Harris they are down 2.2%; almost a double digit swing. And there is tons of video evidence of Kamala supporting no border, abolishing ICE, paying for illegals’ health care and even their transgender surgeries, abolishing private health insurance, no bail, defund the police, ban fracking, confiscate guns, etc., etc.. And she’s all for unlimited abortion (even up to the moment of birth) and allowing chemical castration and permanent physical mutilation of minors in the name of “gender affirmation”. Her pick for VP, Tim Walz, even installed tampon dispensers in all the boys restrooms in all the public schools in Minnesota!
This is a rare Presidential election where both candidates have a four year record of running the country. And even if you hate Trump, it should be a no-brainer for this election; unless you want to vote against your own self interest, safety, and financial security.
It’s your choice America……
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This is nothing new. Sixty years ago, Candidate Barry Goldwater was ridiculed and condemned by newsmen, editors, and rival politicians. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
How can you answer a question when you don’t have an answer? The “moderators” were pathetic and are in their own right Marxist democrats. Really, what did we expect? Cackling Kamala won’t stand the test of time, the democrats are habitual liars, the “debates” are a theatrical joke and a waste of time. President Trump should refuse to play their games and let his successful presidency stand on it’s own. Just continue to highlight the Marxist democrats failures in T.V. ads, rallies and mailings. Even they can’t explain away the facts (although they try, and are experts at the blame game). For those who can’t think for themselves, it’s too late for them anyway.
Being smug, snarky, and thinking the know better than most of the citizens has become the main marxist/democrat flaw. It will be their down fall.
If you want to see Kumala as she “really is” watch her interview with a local Pennsylvania news station: meandering, word salad, sloganism. Unscripted means ka-ka.
I have had it with ALL Democrats. They care about nothing that resonates with the American people. Additionally, their praxis can be summed up by the Latin phrase “falsity’s in uno, falsus in omnibus.” Harris and her army of protectors LIE sbout everything ALL the time, and simply do not care if the people know their lying. They are solely concerned with maintaining power. They have no moral center as they continue to push for abortion and open borders.
Do not be deceived by their empty words. If Harris and Walz are elected, the people will suffer as never before.
There’s no doubt, that ABC was out to get Trump and Harris told NO truth.
I also read that some agency did a close up of Harris’ earrings and felt that they looked exactly like blue-tooth ear buds made into earrings.
So no one learned anything from this debate other than ABC is just another commie democrat worshiping useless bunch of traitors to the United States of America.
Harris is still a brainless idiot and Trump’s ego is his worst enemy.
I watched an interview she just did in Philadelphia with another so-called “journalist,” who was practically kissing her feet. She regurgitated the same memorized pap she said during the phony debate, word-for-word. It was sickening.
What particularly sticks in my craw is her $25,000 gift to first-time home buyers. Just like the student loan ploy, it’s vastly unfair to people who received no such assistance, yet, are going to be on the hook to pay for it. Project that onto her other proposal to build 3million new homes(fed. govt. is now a home builder?) and you get a $75BILLION give-away. And guess who is going to receive it? American citizen? White? Forget It!
Ignore the trolls my fellow AMAC members. They live in FANTASY WORLD and are not worth wasting your time on responses since it will be over their heads. The trolls comments are childish and UnAmerican as you can expect from democrats.
Communist harris clearly stated that we do not have any American Soldiers in Harms Way at the debate. Just one of the 25 lies she said at the debate. Another lie, she said she wouldn’t take away our guns. On Friday the 13th, 2024, she stated she will Ban All Guns. More flip-flopping to get votes. Her lies will continue since she will say anything for votes.
Communist harris did nothing but lie at the debate with Fake News abc protecting her. Not to mention her sorority buddy asking questions which Davis should never have been one of the moderators who didn’t Fact-Check a single thing on Communist harris lies. But what do you expect from cowards.
By every definition of the word,Harris and her ABC “Moderators”are whores.
This debate was “refereed” in a fashion that allowed Harris a free pass on her out-of-context attacks (which were, in effect, untruthful), while actively and constantly disrupting Trump’s responses with split-second “fact checks” that were debatable, if not downright false.
One such instance of notable assistance from the moderators was their having allowed Harris a free pass on holding Trump personally responsible for attacks on womens’ rights to abortion, which was a vivid display of the moderators’ own dishonesty and lack of professionalism. Trump did respond correctly to this accusation, by stating that he simply supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade… which correctly places Judicial burdens associated with abortion on each state.
Of course, much of our voting public doesn’t know what the original or recent Roe v. Wade ruling was… (a boxing match, maybe ???) and these two moderators ensured that nobody who viewed the debate became any wiser.
In total, this was not a debate… just a very poorly managed “Democrat free-for-most” event that was held for the purpose of falsely discrediting and forcing disadvantages upon a presidential candidate who’s record as POTUS was highly favorable.
that “debate” was such a disgrace I turned it off about 30 minutes into it.
A farce , by any judgement