Like many of you who watched the first presidential debate between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, I came away scratching my head. I went to bed that night asking myself, “What did I just observe?” The event, which took place on September 29 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, descended into a hot mess. It has now been widely dubbed the worst presidential debate in history. The moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, selected six topics to be discussed. They included the Supreme Court, the coronavirus, the economy, race and violence in the cities and the integrity of the election. And guess what? Many of the millions of viewers who innocently tuned in became unknowingly manipulated. Keep reading to let me explain.
The first thing most people ask after a debate is who won. Unless a candidate shows up drunk or does something horrific or drastic, the real answer is it depends on who you ask. Opinions are usually divided along party lines. This is my take. On the one hand, Donald Trump was stronger than Joe Biden, yet, to some people came off as a threat or bully via his interruptions. Trump’s forthright debate style was no surprise as Trump is known for his vigor and strong opinions. On the other hand, Joe maintained his presence on stage while under scrutiny for his energy level and mental health. Biden held his own and fired criticism at Trump, calling him “the worst president America has ever had.” However, the name calling failed to deflect from Biden’s inability to directly answer Supreme court related questions about filibustering and packing the courts. Biden also distanced himself from Bernie Sanders’ socialist health plan and from the left-leaning Green New Deal, both of which he claims he does not support.
Hang in there, there is more to know. As the two candidates clashed at the podium and moderator Wallace struggled to ask questions and keep them on topic, the debate clearly left viewers feeling sorry for Wallace. It also made some people believe that the candidates were being immature. Shortly after the debate ended, viewers began moaning, “The moderator should have power to cut off their mics,” and “Poor Wallace; he is dealing with two out-of-control toddlers.” However, I’m explicitly telling you not to feel bad for Wallace because he knew exactly what he was doing, and some of you have been played.
A democrat at heart, Wallace achieved several things by intentionally letting the debate run wild. His goals were to: 1) Create an interactive debate to get the candidates fired up to get more press and maintain viewership 2) Help Joe Biden to stick to his talking points (there were a few times Biden went astray) 3) Pose questions to Trump to make the President answer defensively (to make Trump look like a bully to undecided voters) 4) Openly scold the President in attempts to embarrass him. Guess what folks? Chris Wallace achieved all these things.
Wallace is not a newbie to broadcast journalism and he is not naive. He came up with the questions and encouraged the candidates to follow the “ground rules” of the debate. And he and fully grasped that the debate style they used would encourage the candidates to argue, talk over one another, and push the direction of the debate into what the media labeled as a “Train Wreck.” However, Wallace clearly overlooked the fact that his inability to maintain control over the candidates would render him a weak and powerless moderator on the presidential stage, perhaps making him the biggest loser of the night to those who can see through his smokescreen.