Dear Editor,
A lot has changed in the 1,344 days since President Biden and former President Donald Trump last debated. Biden won the White House. Trump refused to accept his loss. Biden turned 81. Trump turned 78. Yet somehow, the campaign seems to have picked up right where it left off. Biden is the Democratic nominee, Trump is the Republican nominee — and despite everything that’s happened, they’re still deadlocked in the polls.
Which is why Thursday night’s rematch at the CNN studios in Atlanta was such a big deal. In a world of partisan echo chambers and social media silos — a world where most Americans have dismissed the 2024 race as a tired rerun, televised debate is one of the last moments with the power to actually change anyone’s vote.
In truth, presidential debates aren’t really debates at all. They’re more like media manipulation moments: high-profile opportunities for the candidates to seize the national spotlight, however briefly, and use it for their own purposes.
Biden’s mission Thursday night was high-risk, high-reward: to appear under the hot TV lights for 90 unscripted minutes and show concerned Americans. Biden struggled to show his age doesn’t matter, though his supporters are admitting that he struggled.
But these debates have long been decided not by who scores the most points but by who creates the most memorable moments — for better or for worse. On ABC’s Friday day time talk show “The View” six women who are pro-Biden had unanimous opinion that Biden should step down and let another Democrat run for the office.
The candidates sparred over numerous topics, including the economy, abortion, immigration and health care costs. Trump’s strategy was simply to spew more shallow superlatives than anyone could keep up with.
By luck if Biden gets reelected and dies in office, Kamala Harris, a black woman whose mother was from India, will become first woman president of this great nation and will be revered more than Queen of England. I wish America has parliamentary type of governance wherein head of State is determined by members of parliament.
Girish Modi
Decatur, GA
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