So-called traditionalists are decrying President Biden’s invitation to debate former President Trump twice before the election, an offer that was swiftly accepted. Arrangements were made with exceptional alacrity, and the two debates — one for June and one in September — have been placed at CNN and ABC respectively. The setup took many by surprise, as some thought Biden had little desire to debate Trump and Trump himself has shown little desire to debate anyone, very purposefully skipping the GOP primary debates.
Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 15, 2024
Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again.
Well, make my day, pal. pic.twitter.com/AkPmvs2q4u
The result is that the two top candidates will share a stage and show their mettle in front of voters. So what’s the problem? The traditionalists hold that there is a three debate tradition, and that the debates should fall much closer to election day. Taking that stance, Nate Silver, the famous data-driven prognosticator, was flamed on social media after he portrayed the setup as Biden bucking the tradition to gain an advantage.
Nate Silver throws the last slivers of his tattered reputation upon the bonfire https://t.co/hPgEHtVYPZ
— Ragnarok Lobster 🐺 (@eclecticbrotha) May 15, 2024
(Note: As to which is the more un-traditional candidate, surely both sides would agree it is Donald Trump who as a candidate and as president shattered more so-called norms than others, a claim he proudly boasts about.)
But the debate remains controversial, with Democrats concerned that Biden leaves himself open to the kind of broadside assaults that Hillary Clinton took from Trump on the debate stages of 2016. And some believe Biden’s self-confidence could be leading him astray when it comes to his political strategy. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told CNN about the debate plans: “I myself would never recommend going on stage with Donald Trump, but the president has decided that’s what he wants to do.”
Biden obviously senses that he would rather be seen standing up to the fight, even initiating it, than looking as if he can’t take the heat. And if the President commits a gaffe or two during the mano-a-mano, it will not be the first verbal blunder in presidential debate history. Biden is taking his marching orders from one of his heroes, President Teddy Roosevelt, who famously said:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”
Theodore Roosevelt
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