Beltway Insider Special: Biden-Trump 2024 Election Debate - It is Issues or Visuals

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Friday, 28 June 2024 08:06

Written by Janet Walker

From the first political debate in 1960, when a young, handsome, John F. Kennedy, debated Richard Nixon, an older, odd looking statesman, the power of the visuals, have become more important that even the positions of the candidates.

"Kennedy went on to narrowly win the election that most say he never would have had a shot at without that first debate," Time magazine declared in 2016, in recounting the greatest missteps in political debates. "It seems Nixon's fatal flub was in failing to recognize the power of the visual image," reported The Conversation.

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The first Biden-Trump debate in 2020 was a shocking let down. visually, Biden "looked" like those white images of extra-terrestrials with a wide-open mouths, being pummeled. Trump, on the other hand, delivered a non-ending stream of verbal diarrhea, and it just didn't stop. That didn't work then, and it is doubtful that it will work now.

Fast forward to 2024, Biden, unfortunately is still a poor debater, he was able to deliver some solid returns (I "listened" more than "watched") which allowed more hearing and less visual, which caused interruptive zinging thoughts of despair. It seemed this is really two cantankerous old men (especially when the rhetoric drifted into golf, who cares whose is bigger) bragging about the glory days.

Listening allowed me to hear Trump incessantly talk about the border (I believe in stronger border control), he must have mentioned it 100 times, in actuality it was 38 times, I'm not sure why it seemed to be the only issue, he answered. And yet, under his watch his border plan didn't work either, the border was closed due to Covid. Pre-covid, the wall didn't work. His quip about Biden son's; a non-scoring jab, Biden's son isn't running for office.

I expected Trump to revive his "nasty" comment from his Hillary 2016 debate; while he didn't use that word, he did. His verbal delivery is stronger; however, his politics are still polarizing. He believes he has built the U.S., it is a monument to himself, and he will do anything for one last hurrah. It has nothing to do with the American people.

The elephant in the room of course is Biden's age - And his age shows, and Trump's does also, Trump is fighting for those big glory days he had, and anyone who lived in New York City knows, he was a socialite, now he is an outcast. He had favor, now he doesn't. Biden may not live out his term, which is a repeat argument of four years ago. So, what is so wrong with having a female president?

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Issues or Visuals

Unpacking the layers Trump used the debate to once again "blame the system" for his troubles. Blame the system for his encounter with Stormy Daniels, which the world knows is true, blame the system (it is the judge, the prosecutor,) and especially the subversive democratic machine. 

Trump said during the debate, "I didn't have sex with a porn star, number one. Number two, that was a case that was started and moved. They moved a high-ranking official, a DOJ, into the Manhattan D.A.'s office to start that case. That case is going to be appealed in one. We had a very terrible judge, horrible judge, Democrat. The prosecutor were all high-ranking Democrats appointed people and the – both the civil and a criminal," CNN reported.

Trump uses his robust skill of mastering the redirect, the blame isn't his, it is the people he hired to hide his crimes; it's their fault he got caught not his fault.

Politics are polarizing, even within the parties there are factions, the Republicans are so polarized in the House that, even when they have the majority they cannot elect a speaker in under 15 attempts, meaning compromise, promises, assurances, backroom wheeling and dealing, greasing everyone's extended palm for their vote.

Picking apart the main headlines, Trump said, " most embarrassing moment in the history of our country," was the day the troops left Afghanistan. Obviously, he doesn't remember January 6, and who did he blame it on, the democrats and then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Trump claims to have "warned" the Mayor of D.C. the impending trouble. As president he would have had executive powers to order the National Guard, if he really thought the nation's capital was under impending peril, he would have had a responsibility to protect.

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"So far in the 2024 race, Trump has been endorsed by the board of the International Union of Police Associations and by the Florida Police Benevolent Association, Florida's largest law enforcement union," reported Wisconsin Watch.org. How can any police union endorse a convicted felon and still retain credibility? How can any police union endorse a man who is solely responsible for death of police officers in the line of duty?

As the election is four months away, visuals are not the single most determining factor in the vote. This is not an election where we are seeing a middle aged candidate facing off against an elder candidate,

Many of the issues that are being debated are state issues. People live in Alaska for certain reasons, people live in California for certain reason, and that philosophy is true in every state. Part of that philosophy are state's rights. Some states don't impose state taxes; other states do. Some states allow the sale of Cannabis. Other states only allow medical usage, and it is still a prosecutable and punishable offense in some. Each state allowed the constituents to force lawmakers to modify the control to adopt new laws and legislation according to the beliefs of the citizens.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade, many states moved quickly to guarantee a women's right to the autonomy over her medical decisions including the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, even traditionally Republican led red states. Should a woman's right to autonomy over all medical decisions be hers and hers alone? Voters in 2024 need to understand which candidate believes in this philosophy that allows a woman's right over all her medical decisions.

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The Climate crisis is another polarizing issue. And for the debate, Trump's initial response was to redirect the use of his time to talk about his few minor successes, pre-conviction, and then with 38 seconds left described this mythical world, where only he exists.

The truth is the one of President Trump's first directives after his 2016 election was to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate initiative, of which more than 200 nations have agreed upon to fight against the catastrophic changes associated with climate change and the increasing temperature of the Earth's core. The 1.5 Celsius mark, could usher in a global extinction event, and clearly it will increase the possibility of more intense natural disaster, the hotter the earth, the hotter the water, that's simple science. The hotter the earth the greater the chance of longer drought, more damaging to crops, resulting in food shortages. Voters in 2024 need to understand which candidate believes in this philosophy that will champion climate change and climate change initiatives.

The global expectation of the United States is leadership, a unified approach to fight the issues that are critical to the advancement of humanity, everywhere.

Attempting to redirecting global policy, which for those who listened to the debate it is obvious Trump excels at redirecting statements, comments, and questions, injures everyone, everywhere. And philosophy is live today for tomorrow you'll die, the same as the Roaring 20's, which proved catastrophic and became the precursor to the 1930's Great Depression.

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So, the 2024 election isn't about visuals; it is about issues. Which candidate more closely aligns to the issues that are closest to each voter? I think all this post mortem debate is mute; Trump will sentenced on July 11, and in all likelihood will be sentenced to at least four years of prison.

The choice remains easy: Would you hire a convicted felon, convicted of 34 counts of fraudulent business practices, to handle your accounting books? No one in America, red or blue states would. No mom and pop, would, no big business would.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering national and international news through the "Beltway Insider," a weekly review of the nation’s top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, Online Writer’s Association, National Writers Union, and International Federation of Journalists.